Following a visit to the Prado in Madrid in 2019, Jan De Maesschalck began a series of works inspired by the Old Masters. He called the series ‘In the Light of My Old Masters’.
Amongst other things, he saw works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Velázquez and Zurbarán. Photography was not permitted, but De Maesschalck carefully absorbed the information he gathered there: colour mixtures, base tones, brushstrokes, glazes and ground layers.
In particular, the way in which the Old Masters manage to evoke space and depth through light and the suggestion of form became an important starting point for his new work.

In this small panel, *Dog Eyes*, that connection is immediately apparent. The strong chiaroscuro effect evokes the painting of the Old Masters, but De Maesschalck does not use that visual language to create a classical portrait.