Mortelmans Franck

Franck Mortelmans was a Belgian artist born in 1898 in Antwerp and died there in 1986. He was a painter, draftsman, pastelist and illustrator. He was the cousin of the painter Frans and the sculptor August Mortelmans. He studied at the Academy in Antwerp, among others Is. Opsomer and F. Hens. He debuted with impressionistic cityscapes, but quickly evolved into a synthesizing design and large areas of color. He also painted many portraits of civilian and mundane women, in the style of the portrait tradition from the 19th century. From 1930 onwards, numerous landscapes were created with large, sometimes turbulent air sections. His still lifes are sensitive. Until a few years before his death, he devoted himself to the preservation of endangered landscapes and monuments, which he recorded with great precision in his drawings during his travels through Antwerp and the surrounding area. From the foundation in 1924 he was a teacher at the Vocational School for Craftmanship in Antwerp and from 1936 at the Academy in Berchem. He became director at the Academy in Berchem in 1958 and was also a teacher at the Academy in Antwerp from 1946 to 1963. Work among others in the Museums in Antwerp ("Still Life") and Ostend. Listed in BAS II.