Time for a palate cleanser: De Appelsien

50 Shapes of Nits: The 22nd shape is an orange

Long before Nits were granted the honour of a knighthood in the Order of Orange-Nassau (2014), they wrote this funny, zesty song about an orange (a hidden track at the end of the album dA dA dA). It is one of these typical little intermezzos that Nits like to incorporate in their work from time to time, more recently there was la charmante “petite allumette” which was a sort of allegory for the passing of time: “Où va le temps”. Or “I’m a Fly” and “Bus”… These are a constant reminder that Nits – like girls – just want to have fun. Not a show goes by without plenty of smiles and laughter, a preferred way of Nits to communicate with their audience. The optimism and spark, the sunny brightness of the colour orange are always around, like in the work of the fellow Dutchman and painter Vincent Van Gogh and of one of the stars of the “Ghost Ranch”, Georgia O’Keeffe. This vivid, warm colour, so uplifting to the soul is such a natural evoker of happiness all around, something Nits achieve without fault when they set foot on the stage. Without it denying their work a subtle profoundness.

Colours have always been important of course in their work of rephrasing and depicting the world in music. The colour blue is certainly another favourite of Nits: the HAT song boasting it as its title bears witness to that. And plenty of song titles include hues of colour: The Red Dog, Yellow Boat, Big Brown Building, White Night, Vermillion Pencil, Yellow Socks and Angst, Radio Orange, Ultramarine, The Blue Car, Blue Things, Big Black Boats, La Petite Robe Noire, Red Tape, Seven Green Parrots …

“California is a wonderful place – If you wanna be an orange”, is perhaps a loose quotation from the line of the American comedian Fred Allen who said: “California is a fine place to live – If you happen to be an orange”… Just like the oranges on a dark still life painting, this song brings a sip of fizz and joy to the sometimes rather sombre, grey and rain filled skies of The Low Lands.

Orange and blue, what a wonderful contrast they bring to the world … not only in painting …

Joke Roelandt, February 2025