Say what you like, Europe has plenty to look at. From paintings and comic strips to the stereotypical “look” we like to give to our neighbours and the fiery visions that haunt our nightmares, the images we create tell us a huge amount about society. Where do they come from? How do they influence each other? What do they tell us about ourselves – and what we think about others? Take your ticket and step inside: the EuropeIsNotDead gallery is open to visitors.
Whether you’re betting your house on a round of Hold ’em, foretelling the arrival of a tall dark stranger, or just letting your your young nephew win at snap: Whatever you’re doing with a pack of cards, it pays to tell your Swords from your Shields and your Cups from your Coins.
Asterix and Obelix may well have been the first Erasmus students ever! The indomitable Gauls went to several foreign countries: having adventures with delicate Brits, irascible Spaniards, joyful Belgians and the fearless Norse!
European creatures are fascinating. They can make you rich in Ireland, bring you gifts in Italy, warn you of upcoming troubles in Turkey, dig you out of an avalanche in Switzerland, protect your city in Czech Republic, or… make roosters crow in Bosnia.
Over the last centuries, Europe brought to humanity many of the greatest breakthroughs. Think about the telephone, the printed press, cinema, the world wide web or the telescope… Or inventions impacting our daily lives such as eyeglasses, toothpaste or soft contact lenses…
They’re here to save the day. They have superpowers. They are strong and colorful. And they wear pants over their tights… Europeans also have the right to be ridiculous in very-tight superheroes’ costumes…
Naughty children face the same threat across Europe: terrifying beings may come at night to scare, kidnap or even eat them if they misbehave. But in Spain, a hairy hand will grab their feet. In Luxembourg, a Kropemann will drown them in the bathroom…
Snooty French, stiff Brits, shy Finns and humourless Germans: Europeans love their conceptions about their neighbours to be well-defined, if not necessarily true. Even if stereotypes don’t teach us much about who our European neighbours really are, they do teach us a lot about how they are perceived.
Tintin, Asterix or Spirou are without doubt comics with international fame, and not only in Europe. But did you notice that each European country has developped over decades its own national comics art?
When Picasso meets Turner or Delacroix, when Rembrandt appears next to Munch or Bruegel, when Klee goes with Klimt, this is the expression of a vivid common European heritage. Have a look at some of the most famous European paintings.
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