Brussels Art of Choice - Manneken Pis

For my Brussels piece of art I chose Manneken Pis. Manneken Pis is a small statue in Brussels which shows a young naked boy peeing into a fountain basin. Made in the early 17th century, I noticed a handful of things. First, was the pose. The boy was posing casually but also a little mischievous looking, with one leg raised as he peed. Even though he’s small in size, he brings a lot of attention, and has a whimsical expression. It serves as a quirky but endearing landmark, and attracts a ton of tourists and locals! 


The Manneken Pis statue is important for a couple of reasons. It’s historically important because it represents the city’s rebellious spirit during the medieval times. Culturally, it shows Brussels’ sense of humor and irreverence, becoming a great symbol in line with the city’s identity. Over the years, it has developed into a well loved landmark, even celebrated during festivals and different times of the year, through dressing it up in countless costumes. This also reflects the city’s rich heritage and its people who endured affection for this statue. 


The Manneken Pis statue contributed to Brussels’ status as a cultural capital in a few ways. It draws tourists worldwide, sparks curiosity and even laughter. This sense of humor also brings inclusivity which creates a sense of community and shared identity, even with all different backgrounds. More than just a silly landmark, it symbolizes Brussels’ spirit of independence and free expression. The different costumes reflect the city’s diverse background and heritage. It also shows Brussels’ ability to blend tradition with modern times, which adds to its attraction as a cultural capital. 


Bye! 

Sophie





Comments

  1. Laynee JohnsonMay 9, 2024 at 1:14 PM

    Hey Sophie, great post. You can use this post to answer the question on the cities final about how artistic pieces influence a city as a cultural capital. Mannequin Pis is an extremely popular statue that even has 100s of costumes dedicated to him! This statue can be seen in recreations on posters and statues all over Brussels.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anna's Study Abroad 2024May 9, 2024 at 1:31 PM

    Yes I love how you talk about how it ties in the modern! I think that is essential for making a city a cultural capital. Anything Iconic draws people in and can allow a city to band together around what they feel is an important part of thier city's atmosphere.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Grace SoelbergJune 18, 2024 at 8:23 PM

    I love that you wrote about Manneken Pis—it gives a short and accessible introduction to the lighthearted art. You did a wonderful job discussing how this particular sculpture contributed to the cultural capital of Brussels. The city of Brussels is somewhat defined by this little boy statue, and your blog about the art shows it well.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lise Meitner

Image
Today I got the opportunity to learn about Lise Meitner! To be completely honest, I knew a little about her, but not a ton. So it was super interesting to learn more about her from MaryAnn! Maryann told us she was born in October of 1878 in Vienna. She went to the University of Austria and was the second woman to graduate from there in physics. She came up to Berlin to do experiments and have a lab. She worked with Otto Honn and together they made the discovery of nuclear fission. She was nominated for a Nobel prize 49 times and didn’t win a single one. She was invited many times to come and speak to the group, but never won a prize. Another fact about her is that she was invited to participate in the Manhattan Project. She said she wanted no part in a bomb, and said no because it was unethical. She died in 1968 from a heart attack, and on her grave it says how even though she was a scientist, she never lost her humanity.  I think there are many things that make Lise Meitner’s co...
Read more

Käthe Kollwitz

Image
Today we got the opportunity to learn about Käthe Kollwitz! I knew a little bit about her before coming to Berlin, and I’m so grateful I got to learn more! Rob and MaryAnn taught us a lot before going into her museum, and here’s what I learned. She was an artist, and her dad noticed her artistic talent from a young age. She had a good education for the time, and went to an art school. She didn’t love color, but she loved lithographs and charcoal. She met Karl Kollwitz, but her family didn’t want her to marry him because they thought she wouldn’t be able to do her art because she had to do housework. However, Karl did housework to make sure that didn’t happen. They had 3 sons, and one of them died in WWI. She became depressed after this and started changing the type of art she made. Repeatedly in her work after her son died were mothers with and protecting children, grieving parents, and more pacifist themes. She also believed in the idea that children should not be going off to war bec...
Read more

Madrid woman of choice - Emilia Pardo Bazán

Image
For my woman of choice in Madrid, I chose to write about Emilia Pardo Bazán. She was the first woman to become a professor at the University of Madrid. She was a literary professor and wrote articles about literature. Male professors were mad because they weren’t supposed to have women professors at the school. So, they boycotted her lectures. This resulted in a very very small attendance of students because the men wouldn’t work with them and sign off on their thesis’ if they attended. This just pushed her more. She was a great female realist and naturalist writer. She wrote stories about adventure, fantastic stories, stories about women, children’s stories, and even Christmas stories. She was the second woman to be a member of the literary club in Madrid. She also weighed over 300 pounds and all of the other novelists shamed her for it, but that didn’t stop her from achieving all of these things.  I think there are many things that made Emilia Pardo Bazán’s contributions import...
Read more