Journey to Heaven
About the work
This painting is an impression of the dome of one of the west towers of the Bavo cathedral in Haarlem. Bert visited this cathedral on August 19, 2020 for a tour of the 'Creatures of the cathedral'.
On the roofs, towers and pillars of the Dome Cathedral, designed in 1893 by Jos Cuypers (the son of Pierre Cuypers), according to the brochures, 'the creatures reign and they take you into their bizarre world'. Bert walked almost 20 meters above the roof of the cathedral and through the "dwarf gallery" and via the stair towers and chapels he descended to the transept and the nave of the church. The transept showed influences from Islamic architecture in Spain. The dome of the crossing tower and north portal reflected Cuypers' interest in Indian architecture. In 1898 Cuypers had designed a cathedral for the Burmese capital of Rangoon, which expressed this interest even more strongly. However, the clients rejected the design, after which Cuypers made a new design in neo-Gothic style.
The painting shows the dome of the tower in its full splendor. When you stand underneath you experience the feeling of a journey to heaven.
