Discovering Two Artists

Living in Brussels has allowed me to discover two artists: Emile Claus and René Magritte. I had been vaguely familiar with these two artists before, but didn’t know too much about their work, or that they were Belgian.

Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent

Impressionism is one of my favorite styles of art. Between Monet, Renoir and Degas, I had completely overlooked Emile Claus, the most prominent representative of impressionism in Belgium. This was until I visited a special exhibition of Claus’s work at the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent. The exhibit, titled “Emile Claus and Rural Life,” provided an extensive showcase of Claus’s work throughout his life and showed the artist’s stylistic progression over time. It was very interesting to see how Claus began painting realistic subjects with impressionistic backgrounds, then moved to a more dedicated impressionistic style with less of an emphasis on human subjects and finally, the absence of all human subjects in Claus’s paintings completed towards the end of his life. The exhibit was very nicely done, and I am now a big fan of Emile Claus! Here are images of two of my favorite Claus paintings; the first painting is one of Claus’s most famous works, completed earlier in his life, and the second is part of a series Claus painted during World War I while being in exile in London:

The Picnic, 1887

The Thames in London, 1916

I have also discovered René Magritte, the most prominent Belgian surrealist artist. I have never really liked or fully understood surrealism, but after visiting the brand new Musée Magritte in Brussels, the museum dedicated to the artist, I now have a new appreciation for the movement. The Musée Magritte opened only about three weeks ago to great fanfare and has already taken its place as being at the forefront of knowledge about the artist. Magritte painted highly interesting paintings, challenging the viewer’s perception of reality. Sometimes, I found it impossible to discern the meanings of certain Magritte paintings and would have needed an explanation to better understand them. Here are images of two of my favorite Magritte paintings, both among his most famous works:

The Empire of Light, 1954

The Treachery of Images, 1928-1929

Discovering these two artists is just one of the many ways I continue to be pleasantly surprised by Belgium!

Ascension Mania

So I'm going retro here a little with some pics from Brugge's Ascension Day procession on May 21, more specifically--Procession of the Holy Blood. This was a Catholic procession to rival all processions, an endless stream of costumed locals, with no shortage of sheep herds, horses (of unusual size), dogs, camels, leather sandals and orange spray tans. And of course the procession-ee of honor, the Holy Blood itself, said to be brought back trimphantly from the Crusades by the Count of Flanders in 1150.
I was sniffling from a leftover virus through the event, menacing horses and all, but it was completely worth it to experience this local gem court-side.

Brussels in Pictures

Some pics I took around the city...

View from the Top

Palais du Justice

Random Prettiness

Waffles!

Cafe Culture

Business and Bisous

In keeping with the recent string of posts about internships, I’ll take some time to blog a bit about my own work experience in Brussels.

I’m interning at Liberty TV a French- and Dutch-language television station that broadcasts travel shows. Of the five organizations at which I had interviewed, this one had been my top choice, because I wanted to learn more about television production and because I wanted to be able to practice my French in a professional setting. I was ecstatic when I found out I had the job, but, I have to admit, once I got to the office on the first day and became submerged not only in a foreign work environment, but also in a foreign language, I began to wonder if I had gotten in over my head.

After the first couple of days however, I not only started to get used to this new setting, but I also started to have a lot of fun! My job entails assisting the television production team, a small group that consists of two anchors, a producer, and two video editors. My tasks generally include finding and writing up short, travel-related news reports for the anchors’ morning news segment, researching travel information about various countries around the world for a set of mini Web guides the team is producing, and helping to come up with a new design and content for the organization’s Web site. I’ve also written interview questions for guests, edited show segments using Final Cut Pro, assisted with filming by working the teleprompter, and participated in a screening during which the team watched and rated potential documentaries for the channel.

Over the past month, I’ve learned a great deal about television production. I’ve also had the opportunity to learn about a Belgian workplace. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of an American workplace. One thing that is different though, at least in my experience, is lunchtime. Generally the whole team will get together to eat and chat. Furthermore, unlike in the places where I have worked or interned at in the States, people take their whole allotted hour for their meal, instead of rushing back to their desks once they’re done with their food. Another workplace custom that is new to me is the way in which people greet one another. In Brussels people kiss each other once on each cheek when they say hello, even in a professional environment. These kisses are called 'bisous'. I’m not used greeting friends in this manner, much less co-workers, and I haven’t quite adjusted to this one yet, but I’m getting there!

So, all in all, my internship with Liberty TV has been wonderful. At times it has been frustrating to be working in a foreign languge, but I've learned a great deal from these challenges. Certainly, I'll never forget this experience, and I know the skills I have gained here will help me for years to come.

Interning at the EJC

I was very excited when I heard that I would have the opportunity of interning at the European Journalism Centre (EJC)! The EJC was not originally listed in the Brussels program application as a possible place to intern with, and I remember listing it as one of the top organizations I would be interested in for an internship. I have even used the EJC’s work in the past when conducting research for multiple papers!

The EJC is primarily involved in organizing and executing seminars for journalists and Brussels correspondents for media outlets across Europe, but also for journalists from the countries of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and beyond, such as Turkey, the Balkan countries, Brazil and Canada. The primary goal of the seminars is to expose these journalists to the European Union and provide them with information about the structure and mission of EU institutions, so that the journalists are able to report more accurately about the EU. In addition, the EJC monitors and researches the media landscape across Europe and provides a tremendous amount of news and resources to journalists and members of the media across Europe and around the world.

My colleagues at the EJC are extremely friendly and very diverse, coming from countries such as Italy, France, Denmark, Greece, Belgium, Spain, the UK, Portugal, Sweden and Macedonia, in addition to fellows from Japan and South Korea. Even my name and contact information is up on the EJC web site!

My internship experience so far has been fantastic! Since I am primarily interested in current events and the news media, with a regional interest in Europe, the EJC has been an ideal place to intern. I am primarily involved in helping the EJC implement its activities in various ways, and I am also able to attend many of the EJC’s seminars and events as an EJC observer. So far, I have attended seminar programmes relating to the ENP and issues concerning the Middle East conflict, the global role of the euro currency and how Turkish journalists can better understand the EU. I have also been able to visit the EJC’s headquarters in Maastricht.

During the remaining time of my internship, I will be able to attend additional seminars, a daily press briefing of the European Commission, and I will also have the opportunity to take a tour of the audiovisual production facilities of both the Commission and the European Parliament, which I have been told is state of the art.

Through the completion of my daily tasks, ability to attend various seminars and events, and interaction with such a diverse group of colleagues, this internship has truly broadened my knowledge about how the EU works, issues relating to media reporting about the EU and how Europeans view the EU. I am having a tremendous time so far and look forward to the time I have left here. One of the other interns here at the EJC now was an intern last summer, and one of my colleagues who works in the same room as me got a full-time position at the EJC after interning here, so I am excited about the possibility of working with or at the EJC sometime in the future!

Brussels: The Internship Experience

So, along with all of the traveling we are doing around Europe. All the participants are at an internship somewhere in Brussels. Unfortunately, as a result of the European Parliament elections, there wasn't much in the way of actual EU internships, but the majority of us were able to find something we were interested in. 

I am currently working for a consulting firm called Landmark Europe. You can check out the website here- it is undergoing a bit of work, but you're still able to get a pretty good idea of what we're doing. In my position, I'm focusing a lot on how decisions in the EU parliament, commission, and council (now that I know the difference between the three!) affect various aspects of our clients business. I am also charged with looking through some of the latest news reports on all kinds of things from Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), climate change, pet foods, and nanotechnology. One of our biggest clients, which I probably shouldn't mention here, is a huge producer of candy as well as dog food, so there are multiple things that can affect the business they do. 

Either way, I'm learning skills that I never would have otherwise, all while living in Europe. What more could a girl ask for?

Lessons from Norway

What I learned visiting Norway this weekend:

Norway is part of Schengen; calculating exchange rates between Swedish, Norwegian and Danish Kroners is complicated; 3 boxes of chocolate and an apple through airport security are ok--but 103 ml (instead of 100) of liquid in a bottle is not; the Eastern coast of Norway is stunning; Norwegians speak excellent English; and life is good.

Ok so this isn't so much about Brussels. But it was certainly inspiring for my internship. Norway is a Nordic country and an Arctic state, and will play a key role if ever an Arctic Treaty is drafted. So far Norway has resisted joining the EU; and therefore the Commission + Parliament suggestion for a Treaty may not be so well-received. But climate change is changing the "nature of the beast" when it comes to access to the Arctic and its natural resources. I'm working on a report that reviews these positions and any future potential for international cooperation for protection and sustainable development. To be continued...