pp. 75-77 'Quotes', K. Appel (1989)
• Appel's quote is referring to his youth in Amsterdam, in the outskirts and the ports of the Dutch city
• Appel's quote is referring to his youth in Amsterdam, in the outskirts and the ports of the Dutch city
“
The wastelands belong to my youth [c. 1930's]. When I was young I played in the outskirts of the city - watching the cranes at the harbour. There was no law but garbage, grass and wildflowers like boys and girls, rough, hot and sexual and full of hidden pleasures. Life and death are overlapping in the wastelands like in my paintings.
— Karel Appel
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "The wastelands belong to my youth [c. 1930's]. When I was young I played in the outskirts of the city - watching the cranes at the harbour. There was no law but garbage, grass and wildflowers like boys and girls, rough, hot and sexual and full of hidden pleasures. Life and death are overlapping in the wastelands like in my paintings." in the context of "pp. 75-77 'Quotes', K. Appel (1989)
• Appel's quote is referring to his youth in Amsterdam, in the outskirts and the ports of the Dutch city" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Karel Appel" (Quotes of Karel Appel: chronologically arranged, after the date of Karel Appel's quotes, 'Karel Appel – the complete sculptures,' (1990): Quotes from: Karel Appel – the complete sculptures, eds. Harry de Visser / Roland Hagenberg, Edition Lafayette, New York 1990)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Karel Appel
Karel Appel (April 25, 1921 – May 3, 2006) was a Dutch painter and sculptor. He was one of the early founders of the European avantgarde movement COBRA in 1948. Later Appel lived and worked in Paris and in the U.S. His painting art is mainly colorful and gestural.
About Karel Appel
Karel Appel (April 25, 1921 – May 3, 2006) was a Dutch painter and sculptor. He was one of the early founders of the European avantgarde movement COBRA in 1948. Later Appel lived and worked in Paris and in the U.S. His painting art is mainly colorful and gestural.
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