Van De Velde Frans

Frans Van De Velde (Ledeberg, 1916) · Painter, draftsman. Trained as a teacher at the Normal School in Ghent, artistic training at the Academy in Ghent (1936–1942). Painted, among other things, landscapes, cityscapes (Tienen, Ghent), figures, portraits, clowns, travel memories (in which Venice and Bruges were sometimes interwoven), symbolically charged still lifes, and flower arrangements. Many works exude symbolism or refer to the duality between life and death. From the press: ‘Usually, the human being is present, whether depicted or not. And it is tragic to know him searching for a safe place where he can hide in peace, but which he seems to have lost forever, having been broken from his youth.’ Became a drawing teacher at the Royal Athenaeum in Tienen in 1943, at the Academy in Tienen in 1947, and director of this institution in 1954. Was chairman of the Tienen Art Circle. Mentioned in Two Centuries of Signatures of Belgian Artists. (Piron)