Albert Bockstael


Albert Bockstael was a Belgian artist active as a painter, illustrator, poet, and philosopher.
Bockstael initially created expressionist works. Later on he explored a more magical realistic substyle. Eventually his work transformed into his unique genre named by art critics: "The poetic and mystical realism of Bockstael".

Biography

Albert Bockstael was born in 1898 in Anderlecht, a Brussels municipality. He lived several years with his grandfather, Emile Bockstael, a famous Belgian politician who was Alderman and Mayor of Laeken for almost half a century.
Bockstael studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Brussels from 1915. Fellow students at that time were surrealists, René Magritte and Victor Servranckx, with whom he became friends.
He painted in an expressionistic manner, which was considered by P. De Hasse to be the highlight of his mature period. This was also the period when World War I was waging and Brussels was taken over by an occupation regime.
At the age of twenty Bockstael was put in civil captivity in Diest in 1918.
After World War I he travelled the world for a couple of years as a sailor. At last Antwerp became his new hometown. He married Palmyre Bockstael and together they raised four children. He had his creative studio next to the Rupel, a river in Belgium. Where he could create and contemplate from a distance of the business of the city.
Although his style was initially expressionistic, Bockstael developed his techniques further under the influence of surrealism and symbolism. Later on combined with realism and poetic elements.
He became part of the Groupe d'Art Moderne de Liège, founded by his friend and poet Georges Linze.
Once again peace was disturbed by World War II. Bockstael became a prisoner of war of the Nazis in Germany from May to December 1940, in Neubrandenburg, Greifswald en Altwarp. The impact of this period can be seen in much of his work.
So after this war, his style developed through surrealism in a more mystical and poetic direction. His work becomes more of a celebration of daily life and freedom. This can be felt in his books like La Belle Journée.
Around that period Bockstael became friends with many writers and philosophers like Achille Chavée, Moirant, Paul Neuhuys, Geert van Bruaenen en Georges-Marie Matthijs. The latter described him as "aloof prophet and idealistic painter". Bockstael began writing poems and articles for magazines with a socially critical lens, like the magazine Anthologie directed by Georges Linze and Tribune.
Albert Bockstael died in 1989 at the age of 91 in Wommelgem, Antwerp.

Selected list of works

Visual Arts

Paintings
  • 1933 Rupelmonde, oil on canvas, 122 × 112 cm
  • 1950 The Returned Peace
  • 1953 The Table and the Kingdom of Demons
  • 1952 The Storm
  • 1952 The Garden
  • 1954 Painting of a naked girl in nature
  • 1955 Mobilization
  • 1959 Tower of Babel: This work gives Bockstael's own vision on the Tower of Babel. It's a very complex and detailed work of art. In the painting there's a huge space with heaven and earth. He depicts war and lust for power and the end of life values in dark tones. The orange sun shines its rays on a walled garden with sunflowers and a garden table: this scene represents quiet, safe happiness far away from the violence of the world.
  • 1973 Commedia UmanaThe carrouselHis Last SnowThe Madonna of Antwerp
  • Title unknown
IllustrationsProblème d'un Art Nouveau, Anthologie no 4, G. Linze, illustration by A. Bockstael, "Le jeune homme et les bonnes bêtes", 1939Carrefour, 1941 Jean Barthou, et al.; illustrated by Albert Bockstael, et al. Paris: Editions de la Cité moderne, 1941Cormidor, Jules Gille, illustrations by Albert Bockstael, 1943Chansons Bohèmes, Jean Boon, illustrations by Albert Bockstael, 1944Andante Amoroso, Jean Boon, illustrations by Albert Bockstael, 1944Les Savoyardes, André Sarmate, illustrations by Albert Bockstael, 1952Au Bout de la Route: Poemes et Prefaces, foreword by R. Moirant; A. Jaumotte,et al. illustrations by A. Bockstael, et al, 1965L'oiseau inquiet. Poetic manifest / Edmond-Luc Dumoulin; foreword by Edouard Herriot; illustrations by Laurent Larose, Georges Comhaire, Léonide Frechkop, Albert Bockstael et Géo HertayLes Memoires de Dieulepere, Moirant, foreword by G. Linze, illustrations by A. Bockstael, Editions Malgrétout, Brussel, 1974A Cheval de l'Amateur au Professionnel, E. De Loménie, cover illustrated by A. Bockstael, Editions Malgrétout, Brussel, 1974
Drawings
Lithographies
  • 1964 Mother and Daughter
Poetry
  • 1968 Poem of the pure and impure world, screen printed and colored by hand

Publications

La Belle Journée, Albert Bockstael; foreword by J.-P. Bonnami, Editions l'Horizon Nouveau, Luik 1942Ami notre Bonheur, Albert Bockstael, Editions Wastiau-Jeukens, Brussels 1976
Other
  • 1958: Artdirector for the movie Quelqu'un frappe à la porte by Alexandre Szombati.

Selected exhibitions

Throughout his life, Bockstael held more than 130 exhibitions at home and abroad.
Some examples:
  • 1951 - Exposition, La Galerie Saint-Laurent, Luik
  • 1974 - Rétrospective Albert Bockstael
  • 1978 - 7 x Antwerp, Museum for Religious Art, Ostend.
  • 1983 - Albert Bockstael - Master of Poetic and Mystical Realism, at Huis Hellemans, Edegem. A book, written by Bockstael himself, has also been published to accompany this exhibition.

Documentary

1961 - Visiting Albert Bockstael, documentary by B.R.T.