Jespers Oscar

Oscar Jespers was a Belgian sculptor, draftsman and graphic artist. He was born in Borgerhout in 1887 and died in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert in 1970. He was the son of Emile, brother of Floris Jespers. He received his first sculpture training from his father and was educated at the Academy and at the Higher Institute in Antwerp, under the direction of Th. Vinçotte. He quickly broke away from his examples Rodin and R. Wouters and created work with powerful forms and simplified surfaces. He worked the stone immediately, which obviously had an influence on the design. He played an important role in the rise of Flemish expressionism. After the First World War, he was a member of Sélection, which defended expressionism. He settled in Brussels in 1937. Its geometric and massive shapes became rounder and softer in line from 1937 onwards. Throughout his oeuvre, his aim remained focused on simplicity and austerity. He was friends with C. Permeke, P. Joostens and P. Van Ostaijen. He illustrated Sienjaal for P. Van Ostaijen (Schoonselhof), relief decorations for the Central Station and the Administration of the Post Checks in Brussels, a group of sculptures at the Albertina in Brussels. He was a teacher at La Cambre in Brussels from 1927 to 1952. He is mentioned in BAS I and Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (piron)