The mudel houses 2 masterpieces: Bietenoogst (Beet Harvest) by Emile Claus and De moedwillige blinde en de kreupele die een kindje wil leren lopen (The willful blind and the lame who wants to teach a child how to walk) by Gustave Van de Woestyne.
Bietenoogst, which was finished in 1890, may be considered a pivotal work in the oeuvre of Emile Claus. It marks the end of his more realistic period and announces the Luminism of the period around 1900. In the giant canvas of 320 by 480 centimeters, the naturalistic trend continues, as well as the depiction of rural life in a style that tends towards an almost pronounced realism. In this work, however, Claus already seems to move away from the academicism of his training. He becomes increasingly more fascinated with the light, especially under the influence of French Impressionism, which he discovered in the exhibition of "Les XX" in Brussels and during his stay in Paris. The painting was exhibited to the public at the Brussels Salon of 1890. It subsequently traveled to Paris and Munich, where Claus received a gold medal. It confirmed Claus' name as a landscape painter: the critics ranked him amongst the most important artists in the country. Claus had the canvas set up in his studio up to his death. It was donated to the town of Deinze by his widow in 1942.
De moedwillige blinde/ De kreupele die een kindje wil leren lopen is a work of art from the collection of the Flemish Community. It was placed on loan in 1944 at the Museum of Deinze and the Lys. The allegorical and moralizing theme is characteristic of Van de Woestyne's ??work from the war years 1914-1919. The artist processed his feelings of helplessness and disgust through visual parables. The allusive character and hidden message make this a highly symbolistic work. The sense of introspection that emanates from the main characters, reflects Van de Woestyne's state of mind and his homesickness for his native land. In contrast to his earlier work, with its typical linear outlines, the artist here uses soft, blurred and sometimes fragile outlines. The particular artistic value of the work results from, among other things, a new technique which Van de Woestyne applied by scratching off the first coat of paint with a piece of glass to blend the colors together. He then applied a new coat of paint, creating a softer and more poetic result.
Thanks to the Topstukkendecreet (Masterpieces Decree), the two above-mentioned works are protected by the Flemish Community because of their outstanding artistic significance. For Masterpieces, there are also special physical protection procedures.
