The Hour of Fassbinder
acrylic on canvas, 130 x 175 cm
The story goes that this nobleman, who lived in the house where bailiff Willems lives today, had bought many properties and lands that actually belonged to the Church and had been confiscated by Napoleon. No one, on pain of excommunication, dared to buy these lands, and so the rich nobleman became even richer than before. It turned out that Fassbinder, but above all his daughters, “les demoiselles Fassbinder”, had made many donations to the Church in the hope of buying back the salvation of their souls. But retribution followed: on the day Fassbinder was to be buried, it grew very dark, thunder and lightning struck, the sky turned fiery red and a team of fire chariots raced across the firmament; the great bourdon bell, which rang to summon the people to church to attend Fassbinder’s funeral, burst with a hellish crack and fell silent. The church annals do indeed confirm this event. People then understood that the devils had carried Fassbinder off to hellfire…
text: Hans Dehond
Hans Dehond, a Langdorp man through and through. Born there on 22 January 1950.
As a pupil at the Royal Athenaeum he preferred to wield the paintbrush rather than play a football match. In 1978 Hans obtained his medical degree at the VUB. He started a successful medical practice in Langdorp, in the former convent of the Sisters of the Christian Schools of Vorselaar.
Behind the convent unfolds the beautiful, intimate Demer valley, the source of inspiration for Hans’s work. Doctor Dehond restored the chapel and the organ and became an organist. He regularly organises concerts with renowned organists. A resident like Doctor Hans is a blessing for Langdorp. Above all because of his good handling of the heritage, which is all too often viewed carelessly and therefore without understanding.
Exhibitions: Jette – Hasselt – 2 x biennial of Langdorp painters (Davidsfonds) – Baltimore (USA)