1898 - 1989
Belgian School
"Dorpskermis"
Oil on canvas, signed and dated 1932
5 3.3 x 66 cms
21 x 26 inches
Albert Bockstael was not only an artist and designer, but also a published author, poet and philosopher.
He was born in Anderlecht in 1898 and entered L'Académie de Bruxelles in 1915 to start his artistic training. He was a student of René Magritte and became friends with the master as well as with Victor Servrankx.
Initially his paintings were done in an expressionist style but strongly imbued with a surrealist slant demonstrating the influence of Magritte. This evolved quickly though and his art became more mythical and poetic and he is now categorised overall as a poetic realist. He drew inspiration from the grandeur and ordered simplicity of the universe with his works having a symbolist allure, occasionally tinged with a celestial spirit, reflecting his ardent humanist visionary outlook.
Bockstael was the author of "La Belle Journée" and illustrated "Cormidor" by Jules Gilles which was published in 1949. He also was a contributor to the periodical "Anthologie" and was a member of the significant group "Art Moderne".
During the Second World War, he was a prisoner of war in Germany and during his incarceration, kept a daily journal of life in the camp. Writing paper was a scarce commodity so all sorts of pieces of scrap paper were utilised like the back of pay envelopes. An exhibition was staged in the autumn of 2009 titled "Albert Bockstael: a flame in German captivity" including his writing and artwork and was shown in Altwerp-Veckermünde and Micklenburg-Vorpommen.
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