Jules De Bruycker - Frans Masereel in his studio

Frans Masereel (31 July 1889 – 3 January 1972) was a Flemish painter and graphic artist who worked mainly in France, known especially for his woodcuts focused on political and social issues, such as war and capitalism. He completed over 40 wordless novels in his career, and among these, his greatest is generally said to be ''

Passionate Journey ''Passionate Journey, or My Book of Hours'' (french: Mon livre d'heures), is a wordless novel of 1919 by Flemish artist Frans Masereel. The story is told in 167 captionless prints, and is the longest and best-selling of the wordless novels Ma ...

''. Masereel's woodcuts influenced Lynd Ward and later graphic artists such as Clifford Harper,

Eric Drooker Eric Drooker is an American painter, graphic novelist, and frequent cover artist for ''The New Yorker''. He conceived and designed the animation for the film ''Howl'' (2010). Drooker grew up in Manhattan's Stuyvesant Town, adjacent to the Lower E ...

, and

Otto Nückel Otto Nückel (Cologne, 6 September 1888 – Cologne, 12 November 1955) was a German painter, graphic designer, illustrator and cartoonist. He is best known as one of the 20th century's pioneer wordless novelists, along with Frans Masereel and Ly ...

Biography

Upbringing

Frans Masereel was born in the Belgian coastal town

Blankenberge Blankenberge (; french: Blankenberghe; vls, Blanknberge) is a city and a municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Blankenberge proper and the settlement of Uitkerke. On 1 December 2014, Bla ...

on 31 July 1889, and at the age of five, his father died. His mother moved the family to Ghent in 1896. She met and married a physician with strong Socialist convictions, and the family together regularly protested against the appalling working conditions of the Ghent textile workers.

Education

At the age of 18 he began to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in the class of

Jean Delvin Jean-Joseph Delvin (1853 – 1922, born in Ghent) was a Belgian painter who specialized in scenes with animals (primarily horses). Life He attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, where he studied under , and worked in the studios of J ...

. In 1909, he visited England and Germany, which inspired him to make his first etchings and woodcuts. In 1911 Masereel settled in Paris for four years and then emigrated to Switzerland, where he worked as a graphic artist for journals and magazines. MettlachMosaikFuellhornres

Emigre

Masereel could not return to Belgium at the end of World War I because, being a pacifist, he had refused to serve in the Belgian army. Nonetheless, when a circle of friends in Antwerp interested in art and literature decided to found the magazine ''Lumière'', Masereel was one of the artists invited to illustrate the text and the column headings. The magazine was first published in Antwerp in August 1919.Joos Florquin, 'Ten huize van... 1'
Davidsfonds, Leuven / Orion - Desclée De Brouwer, Bruges, 971, pp. 270–299 It was an artistic and literary journal published in French. The magazine's title ''Lumière'' was a reference to the French magazine ''Clarté'', which was published in Paris by

Henri Barbusse Henri Barbusse (; 17 May 1873 – 30 August 1935) was a French novelist and a member of the French Communist Party. He was a lifelong friend of Albert Einstein. Life The son of a French father and an English mother, Barbusse was born in Asnièr ...

. The principal artists who illustrated the text and the column headings in addition to Masereel himself were Jan Frans Cantré, Jozef Cantré, Henri van Straten, and

Joris Minne Joris Minne (Ostend, 1897 – Antwerp, 1988) was a Belgian sculptor, graphic artist, illustrator and painter who helped revive the art of engraving in Belgium.Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

in early 20th-century Belgium. In 1921 Masereel returned to Paris, where he painted his famous street scenes, the Montmartre paintings. He lived for a time in Berlin, where his closest creative friend was

George Grosz George Grosz (; born Georg Ehrenfried Groß; July 26, 1893 – July 6, 1959) was a German artist known especially for his caricatural drawings and paintings of Berlin life in the 1920s. He was a prominent member of the Berlin Dada and New Objec ...

. After 1925 he lived near Boulogne-sur-Mer, where he painted predominantly coast areas, harbour views, and portraits of sailors and fishermen. During the 1930s his output declined. With the

Fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...

to the Nazis in 1940 he fled from Paris and lived in several cities in Southern France.

Post-World-War II

At the end of World War II Masereel was able to resume his artistic work and produced woodcuts and paintings. After 1946 he taught at the

Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar The Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar or HBKsaar, (English: ''Saar College of Fine Arts'') is an art and design university in the German State of Saarland. The degree course offers a choice of different topics: Fine arts, communication desi ...

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is S ...

. In 1949 Masereel settled in Nice. Between 1949 and 1968, he published several series of woodcuts that differ from his earlier "novels in picture'" in comprising variations on a subject instead of a narrative. He had also designed decorations and costumes for numerous theatre productions. The artist was honoured in numerous exhibitions and became a member of several academies.

Death

Frans Masereel died in

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

in 1972 and was entombed in Ghent.

Legacy

Influence

Masereel's woodcuts influenced Lynd Ward and later graphic artists such as George Walker, Clifford Harper, Eric Drooker, and '' New Yorker'' cartoonist Peter Arno. Masereel's woodcut series, mainly of sociocritical content and

expressionistic Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

in form, made Masereel internationally known. Among them were the wordless novels ''

25 Images of a Man's Passion ''25 Images of a Man's Passion'', or ''The Passion of a Man'' is the first wordless novel by Flemish artist Frans Masereel (1889–1972), first published in 1918 under the French title . The silent story is about a young working-class man wh ...

'' (1918), ''

'' (1919), '' The Sun'' (1919), '' The Idea'' (1920), ''

Story Without Words ''Story Without Words'' (french: Histoire sans paroles: 60 images dessinées et gravées sur bois), is a wordless novel of 1920 by Flemish artist Frans Masereel. In 60 captionless woodcut prints the story tells of a man who strives to win the lo ...

'' (1920), and ''

Landscapes and Voices A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

'' (1929). At that time Masereel also drew illustrations for famous works of world literature by Thomas Mann, Émile Zola, and

Stefan Zweig Stefan Zweig (; ; 28 November 1881 – 22 February 1942) was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist, and biographer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most widely translated and popular write ...

. He also produced a series of illustrations for the classic '' Legend of Thyl Ulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak'' by his fellow Belgian

Charles De Coster Charles-Theodore-Henri De Coster (20 August 1827 – 7 May 1879) was a Belgian novelist whose efforts laid the basis for a native Belgian literature. Early life and education He was born in Munich; his father, Augustin De Coster, was a nati ...

; these illustrations followed the book in its translations to numerous languages.

Namesakes

The cultural organization

Masereelfonds The Masereelfonds, named after Frans Masereel, is a Flemish non-profit cultural organization, for the promotion and support of the Dutch language in Flanders (northern Belgium). It is one of a family of five cultural organizations in Flanders, such ...

was named after him, as was the Frans Masereel Centre studio facility at Kasterlee.

List of works

Graphic novels

Woodcut graphic novels

These woodcut collections form entire, seamless graphic novels with their own, independent narrative. *''

'' / ''The Passion of a Man'' (''25 Images de la Passion d'un Homme'' / ''Die Passion Eines Menschen'', 1918) *''

'' / ''My Book of Hours'' (''Mon Livre d'Heures'' / ''Mein Stundenbuch'', 1919)
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*'' The Sun'' (''Le Soleil'' / ''Die Sonne'', 1919) *''Political Drawings'' (''Dessins Politiques'' / ''Politische Zeichnungen'', 1920)
Archive.org
*''

'' (''Histoire Sans Paroles'' / ''Geschichte ohne Worte'', 1920) *'' The Idea'' (''L'Idée'' / ''Die Idee'', 1920) *'' The City'' (''La Ville'' / ''Die Stadt'', 1925)
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*''The Industrial Baron'' (''Die Industriebaron'', 1925) *''Figures and Grimaces'' (''Figures et Grimaces'' / ''Gesichter und Fratzen'', 1926) *''The Work'' (''L’œuvre'', ''Das Werk'', 1928) *''Landscapes and Voices'' (''Landschaften und Stimmungen'', 1929)
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*''The Mermaid'' (''La Sirène'', 1932) *''From Black to White'' (''Du Noir au Blanc'' / ''Von Schwarz zu Weiss'', 1939) *''Dance of Death'' (''Danse Macabre'', 1941) *''June '40'' (''Juin 40'', 1942) *''Destinies 1939-1940-1941-1942'' (''Destins 1939-1940-1941-1942'', 1943) *''Earth under the sign of Saturn'' (''La Terre sous le signe de Saturne'', 1944) *''Remember!'' (1946) *''Angel'' (''Engel'', 1947) *''Phenomena'' (''Erscheinungen'', 1947) *''Ages of life'' (''Les Âges de la Vie'', 1948) *''Youth'' (''Jeunesse'', 1948) *''Ecce Homo'' (1949) *''Key to Dreams'' (''Clef des songes'', 1950) *''Our Times'' (''Notre Temps'', 1952) *''The apocalypse of our time'' (''Die Apokalypse unserer Zeit'', 1953) *''Why?'' (''Pour quoi?'', 1954) *''My book of images'' (''Mon livre d'images'', 1956) *''My country'' (''Mon Pais'', 1956) *''Night Adventure'' (''Aventure nocturne'', 1958) *''Night and his Daughters'' (''La Nuit et ses Filles'', 1959) *''China Memories'' (''Erinnerungen an China'', 1961) *''Stations'' (''É'talges'', 1961) *''From Decay to Triumph'' (''Vom Verfall zum Triumph'', 1961) *''Poets'' (''Poètes'', 1963) *''The face of Hamburg'' (''Das Gesicht Hamburgs'' / ''Le visage de Hambourg'', 1964) *''The road of men'' (''Der weg der menschen'', ''Route des hommes'', 1964) *''Couples'' (1965) *''My home'' (''Meine Heimat'', 1965) *''Antwerp'' (''Antwerpen'', 1968) *''Hands'' (''Mains'', 1968) *''Vice and passion'' (''Laster und Leidenschaft'', 1968) *''I love black and white'' (''Ik houd van zwart en wit'', 1970) *''Pictures against the war'' (''Bilder gegen den Krieg'', 1981) *''Woodcuts against the war'' (''Holzschnitte gegen den Krieg'', 1989)

Brush and ink graphic novels

*''Grotesque Film'' (''Groteskfilm'', 1921) *''Pictures of the Big City'' (''Bilder der Grossstadt'' / ''Images de la grande ville'', 1926) *''Capital'' (''Capitale'', 1935) *''Wrath'' (''La Colère'', 1946)

Illustrator

*''The Days of the Curse'' (''Die Tage des Fluches''), by Marcel Martinet (1914-1916) *''Hôtel-Dieu, Récits d'Hôpital'' (Hôtel-Dieu, Hospital Stories) by

Pierre Jean Jouve Pierre Jean Jouve (11 October 1887 – 8 January 1976) was a French writer, novelist and poet.Michael Sheringham, 'Jouve, Pierre-Jean', ''Oxford Companion to French Literature''Onlineat answers.com He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literat ...

(1915) *''Quinze Poemes'' (Fifteen Poems) by

Émile Verhaeren Émile Adolphe Gustave Verhaeren (; 21 May 1855 – 27 November 1916) was a Belgian poet and art critic who wrote in the French language. He was one of the founders of the school of Symbolism and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Litera ...

(1917) *''Pierre und Luce'' (''Pierre and Luce''; sometimes translated as ''Peter and Luce'') by Romain Rolland (1918) *'' Calamus: Poèmes'' (''Calamus: Poems'', a section from Leaves of Grass), by Walt Whitman (1919) *''Die Mutter'' (The Mother) by Leonhard Frank (1919) *''Heures'' (''Hours'') by

(1919) *''Bübü vom Montparnasse'' (Bubu of Montparnasse) by

Charles-Louis Philippe Charles-Louis Philippe (4 August 1874 – 21 December 1909) French novelist, was born in Cérilly, Allier, Auvergne, on 4 August 1874, and died in Paris on 21 December 1909. Life Son of a village clogmaker, Charles-Louis Philippe rose from ...

(1920)
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*''Das Gemeinsame'' (''The Common'') by

René Arcos René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name (Renée being the feminine ...

(1920) *''Les Poètes contre la Guerre'' (''The Poets Against War'') by Romain Rolland, Georges Duhamel,

Charles Vildrac Charles Vildrac (November 22, 1882 – June 25, 1971), born "Charles Messager",''1971 Britannica Book of the Year'' (for events of 1971), "Obituaries 1971" article, page 532, "Vildrac, Charles" item was a French libertarian playwright, poet a ...

and

(1920) *''The Eternal Jew'' (''Der Ewige Jude'', 1921)
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by

August Vermeylen August Vermeylen (12 May 1872, in Brussels – 10 January 1945, in Uccle) was a Belgian writer and literature critic. In 1893 he founded the literary journal ''Van Nu en Straks'' (''Of Today and Tomorrow''). He studied history at the Free Univers ...

*''Le Travailleur étrange et autres récits'' (''The Strange Worker and Other Stories'') by

(1921) *''Peter und Lutz'' (''Peter and Lutz'') by Romain Rolland (1921)
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*''La révolte des machines, ou la Pensée Déchainée'' (''The Revolt of Machines or the Mind Unbound'', republished in 1947 as in Dutch as ''De opstand der machines, of Het losgebroken intellect'') by Romain Rolland (1921)
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*''Quelque Coins du Coeur'' by

(1921) *''The good Madeleine and the poor Marie'' (''Die gute Madeleine und die arme Marie''), by

(1922) *''Fairfax'' by

Carl Sternheim Carl Sternheim (born William Adolph Carl Francke; 1 April 1878 – 3 November 1942) was a German playwright and short story writer. One of the major exponents of German Expressionism, he especially satirized the moral sensibilities of the emergi ...

(1922) *''Cygne de Rabindranath Tagore'' (''Swan of Rabindranath Tagore'') by Kâlidâs Nâg and

(1923) *''Fünf Erzählungen'' (''Five Tales'') by

(1924)
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*''Liluli'' by Romain Rolland (1924) *''Prière'' (''Pray'') by

(1924) *''Jean-Christophe'' (''Johann Christof'') by Romain Rolland (1925) *''Thyl Ulenspiegel'' by

Charles de Coster Charles-Theodore-Henri De Coster (20 August 1827 – 7 May 1879) was a Belgian novelist whose efforts laid the basis for a native Belgian literature. Early life and education He was born in Munich; his father, Augustin De Coster, was a nati ...

(1926) *''Kerstwake'' by Stijn Streuvels (1928) *''Swane'' (''Swans'') by

Emmanuel De Bom Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the H ...

(1928) *''Der Zwang. Phantastische Nacht'' (''The Force. Fantastic night'') by

(1929) *''Im Strom der Zeit: Gedichte'' (''In the Stream of Time: Poems'') by Ernst Preczang (1929) *''Das Bein der Tiennette und andere Erzählungen'' (''Tiennette's leg and other stories'') by

(1929) *''De man zonder lijf'' (''The Man Without a Body'') by

Herman Teirlinck Herman Louis Cesar Teirlinck (Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, 24 February 1879 – Beersel-Lot, 4 February 1967) was a Belgian writer. He was the fifth child and only son of Isidoor Teirlinck and Oda van Nieuwenhove, who were both teachers in Brussels. As a ...

(1937) *''Ode a la France Meurtrie'' (''Ode to the Dead France'') by

Louis Piérard Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

(1940) *''Jugement'' (''Judgment'') by Agrippa d'Aubigné (1941) *''La légende d’Ulenspiegel'' (''The Glorious Adventures of Tyl Ulenspiegl'') by

(1943) *''Die Nacht'' (''The Night'') by Rudolf Hagelstange (1955) *''Vater Perdrix'' by

(1960) *''Du bist für alle Zeit geliebt. Gedichte'' (''You're Loved Forever. Poems'') by

Johannes R. Becher Johannes Robert Becher (, 22 May 1891 – 11 October 1958) was a German politician, novelist, and poet. He was affiliated with the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) before World War II. At one time, he was part of the literary avant-garde, writin ...

(1960) *''Vom Verfall zum Triumph'' (''From Decline to Triumph'') by

(1961) *''Moriae Encomium: Or The Praise Of Folly'' by Desiderius Erasmus (1965) *''Dolle Dinsdag'' (''Crazy Tuesday'') by

Theun de Vries Theunis Uilke (Theun) de Vries (26 April 1907 – 21 January 2005), was a Dutch writer and poet. Life De Vries was born in the Frisian town of Feanwâlden. His parents moved to Apeldoorn in 1920. In 1936 he joined the Communist Party of the N ...

(1967) *'' Fleurs du mal'' (''The Flowers of Evil'') by

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poetry, French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticis ...

(1977) *'' The Ballad of Reading Gaol'' by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

(1978)

Animation

* ''The Idea'' (''L'Idée'') (1932) : collaboration with Berthold Bartosch on an animated adaptation.

Works published in journals

* Woodcuts in ''Demain'' (1916) and ''Les Tablettes'' (1916-1919). * Drawings in ''La Feuille'' (1917-1920).

Art collections

These woodcut collections cover various aspects of their subject material.

Solo collections

*''Arise Ye Dead: The Infernal Resurrection'' (''Debout les Morts: Résurrection infernale'', 1917) -- A collection of 10, anti-war woodcuts. *''The Dead Speak'' (''Les Morts Parlent'', 1917) -- A collection of 7, anti-war woodcuts.

Mixed collections

*''1925: An Almanac for Art and Poetry'' (''1925: Ein Almanach für Kunst und Dichtung''), published by Kurt Wolff Verlag

References

Peter Arno: The Mad, Mad World of The New Yorker's Greatest Cartoonist. Michael Maslin. Regan Arts, New York. 2016

External links

Frans Masereel Foundation site

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080705203321/http://www.nebulous-cargo.com/masereel/ Nebulous Cargo - an observant walk through modern ruinsbr>Frans Masereel Centre, Artist in Residence - Belgium
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masereel, Frans 1889 births 1972 deaths Belgian painters Belgian printmakers Belgian graphic novelists 20th-century engravers Flemish engravers Modern painters Modern printmakers 20th-century novelists Belgian woodcarvers Belgian wood engravers Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Ghent) alumni Academic staff of the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar Writers from Ghent Belgian pacifists