Landscapes and nature

Greenpeace, the Seals

Kees van Willigen · 1915–1990

Date

1990

Medium

Oil painting

Size

85 x 62 cm

The painting depicts a massacre of seals without showing blood. During his captivity in Burma, Kees van Willigen had been confronted with a great deal of violence.

The glassy eyes of the animals and the alignment of the bodies create incomprehension and then unease, leading the viewer to identify the scene as a massacre.