This fresco was created in May 2019 by artist Alexis Corrand to mark the 450^th anniversary of the death of painter Pieter Bruegel. Ten fresco offerings have been created, grouped together along a route known as the “Parcours Bruegel” in Marolles. Each artist was given the task of reinterpreting a work by the Flemish master.

This fresco was inspired by “The Ass in the School, Pieter Brueghel the Elder, 1557, engraving, 23.4 x 30.3 cm, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Germany”.

Alexis Corrand on his work:  “I chose to reboot ‘The Ass in the School’, which depicts a teacher in the middle of a rather hectic class. I liked the reference because of its humorous side. At first, I wanted to depict the tumultuous side with all the children. Later on, I preferred to focus on the most wacky and symbolic aspect of the reference work, namely the donkey that can be seen sticking its head through a window. I made this choice partly because of the size of the wall and its position, which I felt deserved a strong and visible element, rather than losing passing spectators in an overloaded composition. Moreover, I didn’t want to include certain elements of the original work which I thought would be questionable for a passing spectator, such as the teacher spanking a child. As such, I focused on this central element and gave suitable attention to the details. In order to frame and enhance my work, I will put my donkey in a false perspective, by simulating wall edges on the back wall, so that you might have the impression that the donkey is coming out of the wall.”