I visited Gent a couple of years ago to attend a book presentation. I combined it with a visit to a nice museum the next day. Walking to the railway station to return to the Netherlands I came upon a park with a lovely bandstand. I was struck by these details.
Pure craftsmanship.
These bandstands have some relationship with the industrial revolution. In the anti-historical article I mention below that relationship is described thus: The industrial iron-age coincided with paternalist councils creating municipal parks for the industrial terrace-dwellers to relax in.
Close to the poor neighbourhood where I grew up there was -and still is- a bandstand too: it was in the centre of a lovely park. I have nothing but positive associations with it.
And yes, to some extent I see things differently since I became a painter (I was old and Dutch before that).
Bandstand in Gent
