Ramaeker Henri (Ramah)

Ramah or Henri Ramaeker was a Belgian artist, born and died in Sint-Joost-ten-Node (1887-1947). He was a painter, gouachist, watercolorist, draftsman, graphic artist and lithographer. He is considered self-taught, although he took classes at the Ecole Normale des Arts du dessin, which would later become the Academy of Saint-Josse-ten-Node. In 1909 he made his debut as an engraver in the Le Sillon Group. As a painter he realized landscapes, figures and portraits. In 1912 he exhibited in group in the gallery Giroux, together with, among others, R. Wouters, F. Schirren, W. Paerels, P. Bonnard and E. Vuillard. After a first impressionistic period, he evolved around 1919 to constructive cubism that was strict in color and thus ended up in expressionism in the 1920s, which around 1940 passed into a loose, expressive, almost Fauvist style. In the company of his friend Paul Maas, he made many trips abroad, especially to France, Austria and Italy. He also regularly stayed in Etikhove, together with P. Maas and V. De Saedeleer. He was a member of the Circles La libre Esthétique, L'Estampe, L'Art Vivant, Kunst van Heden and Les IX. He illustrated, among other things, Tijl Uilenspiegel by Ch. DeCoster (1913). The vast majority of his oeuvre is undated. In 1967 a retrospective was held at the Hotel Charlier in Sint-Joost-ten-Node. He probably worked under the pseudonym Ramah from 1904, because he signed a series of sketches with his own name a year earlier. He taught engraving and etching art at the Higher Institute in Antwerp (1946-1947). His work can be found in the Museums in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Mons and Liège. He is mentioned in BAS I and Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (piron)