The oeuvre of Philippe Vandenberg (1952-2009) is characterized by a restless introspective search. Destruction and the inevitable renewal that followed was a tried and tested method. Vandenberg could only reach a state of wonder by constantly questioning his work, resolutely putting it behind him and starting over.
In a period of withdrawal in De Sleutel he had come to a standstill, 'it's as if I can no longer tell stories', that's how he put it. He returned to a universal visual language with a tendency towards abstraction, in which recognizable themes such as the maze and the cross were a constant. With unrelenting energy, he searched for the ultimate image in Exil de peintre.

The final etchings were gloomy, on the colorful red and purple flowers he prints a deep dark black surface, a figure that seems to refer to a Romanesque floor plan. The etching technique developed especially for Philippe Vandenberg allowed him to create an almost painted surface with great depth.