At an amateur art exhibition in Holland, there was a piece ironically titled "Maid in Gouda."
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The information is from a Dutch site, and it seems that the painter is Dutch, and not Muslim. What is even worse than Muslims infusing their presence into our environment is when naive Westerners help them do this, and participate in their own destruction. But, the painter still can't help himself. The interesting thing about this painting is that there is no interaction between the Dutch and the Muslim. A half gouda cheese is part of the dome of the mosque, and the red, white and blue of the Dutch flag is prevalent, but there is no connection between the two buildings and the two "maids."
In fact, the Muslim symbolism ominously dominates. The Muslim girl, draped in the Dutch flag, appears to be rising out of the white cloud of the flag, whereas a pair of eyes, which look male, are peering through the blood red background. There is no counterpart male Dutch, unless we count the invisible "creator"--the painter. Even the minaret is much taller than what appears to be a castle (why not a church?)
The young Dutch girl, meanwhile, stands huddled in the corner clasping the cheese in her arms.
Perhaps this was a distorted psychological rendition of the Dutchman who painted this. He may appear to like his Muslim counterparts, but somewhere along there, his smiling Muslim girl cannot help him hide his inner fear.
Now, if only it were less symbolic and more realistic. If only he were more aware.
