Isn’t it heartwarming? Martine graces this wall. She is running with her dog in nature. This mural is a tribute to a beloved children’s book series. The Martine series presents a world close to children’s everyday lives. The wonder comes from human relationships. Adults love and respect children. They are understanding kind and courteous. Children have peaceful relationships. These relationships are based on esteem and solidarity.
The Martine mural is located at 325 Avenue de la Reine in Laeken Brussels. It was created in June 2004. The surface area covers 180 square meters. The project is by Marcel Marlier. Art-Mural ABSL realized it.
Martine is an enthusiastic and cheerful child. She is about 8 years old. Martine first appeared in 1954. Casterman asked Marcel Marlier and Gilbert Delahaye to create a heroine. This heroine was for children aged 5 to 8 years. Martine evolves in an idealized world. She is a curious intelligent and resourceful child. The realistic drawings and common names allow children to identify with her. Martine’s adventures take place in a serene daily environment. The album titles directly announce the story. The young reader will never be afraid. They plunge into a reassuring world. Adults are loving and children respect each other. In the first albums almost nothing disturbs the peace. Later the heroine experiences unforeseen events. These events are never serious. She gets sick. She loses her dog. She suspects her neighbor of being a witch. She falls off her bike.
Martine reflects the societal changes. In the first album “Martine at the Farm” she discovers farm animals. This was a time when rural life was idealized by city dwellers. In later albums she discovers various leisure activities. These include trips the circus vacations the zoo and sports. This era was known as the “Thirty Glorious Years”. It favored consumerism. Comfort and modernity invaded homes. These included appliances cars suburban houses luxury cruises and train and plane travel. In the late 1980s the series evolved. Martine became increasingly interested in nature the environment and ecology.
In 1976 Martine’s skirt was swapped for jeans. The designer explained that he changed Martine’s outfit. This was after criticism of the many drawings showing the girl’s panties. He sought to reproduce the postures of young children. Marcel Marlier and his wife photographed young girls. This was to make the representations as realistic as possible. Martine also ventures into the world of adults. She engages in domestic activities. In “Martine Babysits” she changes her little brother’s diaper. She gives him a bath. She prepares his bottle. In “Martine Cooks” she follows a recipe. Her little brother does the dishes. The decor shows off the appliances of the time.
Martine reflects the conformist demands of the 1950s. She also shows the beginnings of women’s emancipation. This is through her resourcefulness and many skills. She does sailing skiing and hot air ballooning.
More than 150 million albums were sold between 1954 and 2022. They were sold in thirty different languages. The series has been a resounding success. This mural was inaugurated in 2004. It celebrated the 50th anniversary of the series. It took into account the piercing of several windows planned a few years later.
The building’s architect was not initially informed about the new mural. He placed the windows in the middle of the facade. So the windows were right in the middle of Martine. The windows were placed in the sky areas. They were already planned when the mural was created. This was in anticipation of a future renovation. The renovation took place in 2007.
For her 50th anniversary in 2004 Martine received a gigantic gift from the City of Brussels. It was a 180 square meter mural in her likeness. It was on the gable of a house in Laeken. It was also the first mural created for this new route.