With their historical manner of painting and static viewpoint, the seven works hanging in the Belgian Royal Palace by Michaël Borremans at first seem to fit seamlessly into the sumptuous interior. Yet the place of art in the context of state representation remains uncertain. Without ever intruding, it is a constant witness to power politics. Borremans' fantasies approach painting with radically open rules of association between each of the elements depicted. The standing figures, seen from behind, link contemplation with illusionistic depth, moving our observation towards the wide realms of possibility lying behind the image, or to the inner notions upon which the visible impinges.
