Jan Ceuleers , Ludo Beheydt , Inne Gheeraert , René Vermeir , Christophe Declercq & Christophe De Clercq
Permeke Museum & MER, 2026
€29,00
Belgian artist Constant Permeke’s artistic trajectory was developing promisingly. But the war threw a spanner in the works. In July 1914, Belgium went into general mobilization. Constant Permeke was called up as a soldier and fought in the defense of the Antwerp fortress belt in August. He was severely wounded in the leg by a shrapnel fragment. The war was over for Permeke. Even before the fall of Antwerp on October 9, all wounded soldiers were transferred via Antwerp to Ostend and subsequently to England. His heavily pregnant wife and his mother traveled after him.
From October 1914 to April 1919, Permeke stayed in England. He moved four times, each time to small, remote villages. This did not prevent him from experimenting with drive and continuing to seek innovation. He usually painted on large formats with oil on canvas, the paint applied thickly and roughly with a brush and palette knife. The color palette is particularly intense. Together with the rough brushstrokes and the unusual framing, it gives the paintings a very distinctive character. During those years of isolation, the seeds were sown for a very personal artistic trajectory, inspired by modernism and humanism.
The exhibition and the book aim to provide an overview of the artistic evolution Permeke underwent during those five crucial years in his young life as an artist. It also features work by compatriots who were also in England during the First World War, such as Edgard Tytgat, George Minne, Léon de Smet, and Gustave Van de Woestijne, whose work also appears in the exhibition and book. IN DUTCH, BUT AVAILABLE IN FRENCH OR ENGLISH UPON REQUEST
ISBN: 9789493499904
