The artistic and social significance of Frans Masereel is mainly situated during and between the two World Wars. Because of his consistent pacifism he stayed as a political refugee in neutral Geneva from 1914 to 1918. In his woodcuts, he commented on the war and increasingly worked with sharp lines and expressive black and white surfaces. In Mon livre d'heures, his first graphic novel from 1918-1919, he shows another, more optimistic side of himself. On the one hand, the 167 woodcuts hark back to an age-old technique and concept (the title refers to the late-medieval books of hours), but on the other hand, they are surprisingly modern because of their almost filmic dynamism. The story is brimming with vitality and the artist portrays himself as a bon vivant, a do-gooder, an idealist and anarchist. For Masereel it was probably a way of shaking off the oppressive war years. It fitted in perfectly with the cheerful, optimistic 1920s that lay ahead.
Artist |
Frans Masereel
RKD
VIAF
Wikidata
|
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Title | Preliminary drawing for 'Mon livre d'heures' |
Date | ca. 1918 - ca. 1919 |
Period | 20th century |
Collection | print room |
Object type | ink drawing |
Inventory number | 1985-O-160 |
Current whereabouts | Work currently not on display |
Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1985-O-160 |
IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/3547/manifest.json |
Art & Architecture Thesaurus |
300189808
figures (representations)
AAT
300055865 Symbolism (artistic concept) AAT 25H landscapes Iconclass |
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Keywords Iconclass |
25G3
trees
Iconclass
25H15 forest, wood Iconclass 31A235 sitting figure Iconclass 31A71 male sex; man Iconclass 31D12 youth, young man, adolescent Iconclass 34A1 friendship between man and animal; caressing, petting Iconclass 34B11 dog Iconclass 46C5 travelling; tourism Iconclass 46C51 stadia of travel Iconclass 46C513 'en route', traveller under way Iconclass |
School / Style |
Expressionist (style)
AAT
Modernist AAT |
Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : Tekeningen, pastels en aquarellen; Inventaris / Moniek Nagels. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 1988 (p. 28) |
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