arts, literature

Lennert De Vroey: Bleaching Fields Outside Haarlem

Eighteen young Flemish and Dutch authors drew inspiration from the collection held by the Mauritshuis in The Hague. They looked at seventeenth-century paintings through the lens of an alternative history which they then brought to life in short but powerful texts. Lennert De Vroey wrote a song in response to View of Haarlem with Bleaching Grounds, painted by Jacob van Ruisdael around 1670 – 1675. ‘beyond the fields lies Haarlem with its churches Haarlem is built on money’

Lennert worked with Nicolas Anné (Saving Nico) and Maximilian Dobbertin on the music, recording & mixing.

Bleaching Fields Outside Haarlem

the sun always rises
the sun always rises
the water keeps welling

the very best bleaching fields
the very best bleaching fields
the heavens above

“bleach, bleach the stains on the linen in the fields
spread, spread the linen in the field
beyond the fields lies Haarlem with its churches
Haarlem is built on money”

remnants of life
remnants of life
covered in sand and clay

layer upon layer
millions of years in the making
crude oil is released

drill, drill the oil from the soil in the fields
dig, dig a pipeline in the field
beyond the plain lies Houston with its port
Houston is built on money

Haarlem with its churches
Houston with its port
Haarlem
Houston
Money

bountiful soil
bountiful soil
auspicious climate

photosynthesis
sun that keeps giving – abundance of life
yielding a crop

pick, pick the fruits off the trees in the fields
race, race the trucks across the field
far from the plantations lies London with its buildings
London is built on money

London with its buildings
New York with its markets
Luxembourg with its banks
Haarlem

with its money
money builds money
money builds money
money builds money
money builds money 

take, take the rocks from the mines in the mountains
lay, lay the rails across the field
far beyond the mines lies Brussels where I live
Brussels is built on money

• deBuren
• Jacob Van Ruisdael
• Mauritshuis