Bronze sculpture (1985)
With this sculpture, the artist expresses the struggle between the ideal and drab reality. This work of art, which is almost three metres tall, represents a man and a horse who, through the fact that they are shut up in a metro tunnel, speak to us of nostalgia for pure nature, primary forces and vital energies. “Why did the rider dismount his horse, when he was riding astride the wind of the plains?” Other than monumentality, the artist has expressed strength and vitality.The bronze plates seem to have cracked under the pressure of the tensions present in the closed volumes. This is very clear on the back and neck of the whinnying horse as well as on the rider’s torso. Rik Poot sculpted this rider as “a protest against the artificial world with its computers, psychiatrists, sociologists, psychologists, sexologists and the organisation of leisure activities for pensioners.”
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RIK POOT (1924 – 2006)
Until 1962 he used wood and stone, but he eventually realised the limitations of these materials with regards to space and volume. From then on he opted for the lost wax technique to achieve his objectives, just like the artist Roel D’Haese (also present in Herrmann-Debroux station). Without a doubt, Rik Poot is best known for his image of a fist in Vilvoorde, erected when many employees were made redundant by the car manufacturer Renault. Rik Poot has already designed a great number of monumental works in public places and in many different materials. However, not all of his creations are monumental. He also created many smaller images, jewels and graphics. Rik Poot often draws inspiration for his works from nature. He dissects shapes and puts them back together again. He has been awarded several prizes for his sculptures and has taken part in many different exhibitions in Belgium and abroad.
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