‘street’ by maxime ansiau, 2008 130cm x 34cm a conjoined porcelain piece from ‘plates’ all images courtesy the artist

amsterdam-based artist maxime ansiau created a surrealistic interpretation of classic dutch landscape painting on porcelain in the series ‘plates’. the surrealistic tableware collection re-imagines the dutch countryside decorative motif as each of the pieces have been formed from several conjoined plates depicting this theme typical to classic art of the netherlands. however, with the addition of repetition and the elongation of familiar forms, the classic style becomes new. each of the four porcelain works have been formed from several conjoined plates depicting the lush countryside of the netherlands including castles, windmills, bodies of water and wood decorated country homes. in one surrealistic actualization by ansiau, the the familiar landscape has been altered by the artist’s elaborate patterning and repetition of white and brown houses to reveal a seemingly endless line of classic country homes. in ansiau’s development of two vertical plates, the artist has pictured ancient castles reinvented as strange skyscrapers, their turrets decorating the tops of their elongated, towering, semi-modern forms. the conjoined dishes walk a fine balance between absurd and traditional as the pieces’ shapes and particular depictions are new while the fundamental subject matter and medium remain tied to traditional dutch porcelain work.

conjoined porcelain plates picturing dutch landscapes by maxime ansiau ‘skyscraper’

110cm x 34cm the two vertical plates portray historic buildings as towering sky scrapers

conjoined porcelain plates picturing dutch landscapes by maxime ansiau a detailed view of ‘skyscraper’ rising from the dutch countryside

conjoined porcelain plates picturing dutch landscapes by maxime ansiau ‘gouda stadshuis/townhall of the future’

52 x 27cm conjoined porcelain plates picturing dutch landscapes by maxime ansiau a detailed perspective of the spindled roof of ‘gouda stadshuis/townhall of the future’

the two vertical plates portray historic buildings as towering sky scrapers

conjoined porcelain plates picturing dutch landscapes by maxime ansiau ‘dutch landscape’ 76cm 42cm the plates are joined together to better portray the lush, watery landscape of the dutch countryside

via booooooom