Agenda Relief Of Leiden

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ERWIN OLAF & The Relief of Leiden

By commission from Museum De Lakenhal and Universiteit Leiden Olaf created the contemporary hisotric piece ‘The Siege and Relief of Leiden’. Olaf used inhabitants of the city of Leiden as his models for this piece, with the photoshoot taking place in the Church of Saint Peter (‘Pieterskerk’). That very location also features as the interior for the 19th century historic piece ‘The Divine Service after the Relief of Leyden’ (‘De Gebedsdienst na Ontzet Leyden’) by Jan Hendrik van de Laar.

Erwin Olaf - The Making Of by Su Tomesen

This commission piece is Olaf’s largest to date: a photographic composition measuring approximately 2 x 3 meter, featuring the main historic characters in a dramatic scene setting. Olaf also added contemporary details like an i-pod carried on a historic costume or an S&M leather belt attached to the armory of a Spanish soldier. Apart from this monumental contemporary historic piece Erwin Olaf also created two still lifes and six portraits of historic figures such as Magdalena Moons, Jan van Hout en Jan van der Does. The Relief of Leiden has been the subject of many historic pieces from the 16th through the 19th century. However, there was no contemporary historic piece. Therefore Museum De Lakenhal and Universiteit Leiden commissioned Erwin Olaf to realise his contempory

OVT - oktober 2,2011
Radio interview with Erwin Olaf on his histroic piece.

Following the exhibition the historic piece will be on permanent display at Museum De Lakenhal. The portraits and still lives are on display at the Library of Universiteit Leiden from September 29, 2011 through January 8, 2012.

More on this project
More on Erwin Olaf
Blog on the photo shoot