Jan Cobbaert - Silkscreen, Untitled X - Framed - Sold

Title: Untitled
Year: Unknown Work size H. 23 cm x W. 16 cm Frame dimensions: H. 42.5 cm x W. 23.5 cm Edition: 45/150 Signed: Yes, handwritten in pencil (bottom right) Material: Screen printing on paper Framed: Yes, in wooden frame Condition of artwork: In very good condition
Jan Cobbaert (Heverlee, 1909 - 1995) Jan Cobbaert (Heverlee, June 24, 1909 – October 3, 1995) was a Belgian artist. Several disciplines were familiar to him. In addition to painting, he also focused on drawing, various forms of graphics, ceramics, ironwork, woodcuts, glass art and silversmithing. He comes from a wealthy family. The family lives in Korbeek-Lo near Leuven. He was fascinated by art from an early age. Once a week he takes ceramics lessons in the studio of Jacques Charlier (1899 – 1964) and attends the Municipal Academy of Fine Arts. After completing his secondary education he realized that he wanted to continue with art. Cobbaert starts studying art history at the Catholic University of Leuven. He then studies at the Higher Institute for Archeology and Art History in Brussels. After these studies, he worked as an errand boy in his father's shoe company. In between, he paints his first works and occasionally attends classes at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. In this Brussels environment he came into contact with Flemish expressionism and discovered the great expressionists of the second Latem School such as Gustave De Smet (1877 – 1943) and Constant Permeke (1886 – 1952). In 1937, Cobbaert's work was published for the first time. internationally awarded the Rome Prize. As a result, his work is publicly displayed in the town hall of Leuven. This is his first exhibition. However, his work is met with much misunderstanding among the Leuven population. It is considered too progressive. Yet thanks to the Rome Prize, his artistic career is open. When he received a state grant in 1939, he went to Italy, Germany and France to study ancient art. This gives his career a new twist, but because of the war situation in Italy he soon returns to Belgium. After the Second World War, Cobbaert further developed his talent. From October 1944 he was also a teacher at the Leuven Academy. In the meantime, he gets to know José Beeckman, whom he will later marry. They have two children and the family settles in Kessel-Lo. This familiar family world becomes his main source of inspiration. In the 1950s, Cobbaert became aware of his artistic talents. He is also gradually breaking through internationally. Successful exhibitions and awards at home and abroad follow one another. Many museums in Belgium buy work from him. Museums abroad are also showing interest. Cobbaert's work can now be admired in Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark and Germany. Furthermore, the interest in his work also among private collectors and individuals at home and abroad. With the loss of his son Marc in 1958 and eight years later that of his wife, his creativity was lost for a while. After some time he finds the courage to pick up the thread again. A few years later he met Vika Lambrechts, whom he married. Cobbaert has regained his optimism in life. This is reflected in his work, which is undergoing a metamorphosis. He retired as a teacher in 1974. He is now fully committed to further expanding his oeuvre. Cobbaert's oeuvre is a diverse whole. His work contains various components of various art movements, such as the second Latem School and the Cobra movement. Yet his work is mainly determined by two components. Firstly, there is his increasingly refined craftsmanship. Secondly, emotionally and psychologically eventful life events have determined his oeuvre. The death of his son plays an important role in this. He plunges into the child's dream world. He wants to maintain intimate contact with his son through this fantastic world. This world of the child, dreams and impressions determine his paintings. Around 1950 he came into contact with the Cobra movement, of which he did not formally want to be part. He instinctively feels that his work is connected to the expressive visual language of this movement, to the character of the children's drawings. Drawing, shape, color and content form one compositional whole. They determine the whole without any frills. The shape has been deliberately stripped of all disturbing and aesthetic details. She is hard, wooden and childlike. His paintings show a lasting dissatisfaction, a constant unfinishedness. This is visible in all his works in which he strives to depict themes such as the emotion of man, nature and life.