Marianne Dock (1950 - Les veilleurs du Feu

Marianne Dock (Belgium, 1950– )
Watchers of Fire – 1994

Mixed media on paper

Dimensions: 65 × 50 cm

Signed and dated lower left: Dock 1994

Good general condition – small stains at the corners (see photos)

Sold without frame

Description of the work

Original paper artwork by Marianne Dock, dated 1994, titled The Watchers of Fire. This fiery and ritual composition aligns with the artist’s work around myth and transformation.

Two totemic figures, placed opposite each other, appear to converse in a burning space. One, surrounded by light, recalls a protective deity; the other, with spiral forms and multiple eyes, embodies vigilance and transformation.

The palette, radiant and saturated — dominated by pink, orange and turquoise — translates a vital and sunny energy. Through the strength of line and the density of color, Dock brings to life a universe that is both primitive and spiritual, where fire stands for regeneration. The mixed technique (pastel, gouache and ink) gives the surface a vibrating, almost tangible texture that enhances the expressive power of the composition.

Biography of Marianne Dock (Belgium, 1950– )

Born in Uccle in 1950, Marianne Dock appart (sic) belongs to the generation of Belgian artists who in the second half of the 20th century restored expressive power to the body and myth. Trained at the Academy of Drawing and Decorative Arts in Watermael-Boitsfort, then at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels and at La Cambre, she was among others a pupil of Roger Somville.
Winner of the Prix Pro Civitate for painting in 1970, she subsequently received a grant from the French Ministry of Culture, which took her to Rio de Janeiro (1972) and Great Britain (1976). These journeys deeply feed her imagination: Brazil inspires a luminous sensuality and an exalted palette, while England strengthens her expressionism in motion and introspection.

Promoted with the Prix de la Jeune Peinture (Liège, 1975) and laureate of the Prix Godecharle, Dock quickly establishes herself as a unique figure in the Belgian art scene. Her work, which sits at the crossroads of Expressionism and Symbolism, explores the duality of the feminine and the masculine, the earthly and the spiritual. Each composition becomes a space of revelation, where color and gesture unite in a quest for balance and transcendence.

Condition

Good general state. Small stains present at the corners, without affecting the image. Paper well preserved, colors bright and vivid. Sold without frame.

Provenance
Private collection, Belgium.

Artwork comes directly from the artist’s studio.