Jan Verdoodt
Encyclopedia
Jan Verdoodt came from Sint-Pieters-Jette in Belgium
. He attended the Academie van Sint-Jans-Molenbeek from 1926, under Frans Persoons, where he was attracted equally by Realism (in the work of E.Laermans) and Surrealism
(in Magritte's paintings). He developed his own style by combining these two schools, creating 'a kind of magic realism
in which dream and reality, woman and nature, were intimately bound together'.
studio and became a photo-engraver. He produced portrait
s, self-portrait
s, still life
painting
s and landscape
s, and was a founding member of the Cercle Jecta in 1938 (Magritte was also a member).
His work has been acquired by the Belgian state and by the province of Brabant
, and he has given his name to a road in Jette
and to a path in the Parc Baudouin.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. He attended the Academie van Sint-Jans-Molenbeek from 1926, under Frans Persoons, where he was attracted equally by Realism (in the work of E.Laermans) and Surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
(in Magritte's paintings). He developed his own style by combining these two schools, creating 'a kind of magic realism
Magic realism
Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
in which dream and reality, woman and nature, were intimately bound together'.
Career
He began work as an apprentice in a lithographyLithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
studio and became a photo-engraver. He produced portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
s, self-portrait
Self-portrait
A self-portrait is a representation of an artist, drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by the artist. Although self-portraits have been made by artists since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid 15th century that artists can be frequently identified depicting...
s, still life
Still life
A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made...
painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s and landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
s, and was a founding member of the Cercle Jecta in 1938 (Magritte was also a member).
His work has been acquired by the Belgian state and by the province of Brabant
Province of Brabant
Brabant was a province of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1815 until 1830 and a province of Belgium from 1830 until 1995, when it was split into the Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant, the French-speaking Walloon Brabant and the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region.-United Kingdom of the...
, and he has given his name to a road in Jette
Jette
Jette is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.The Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Dutch-speaking university of Brussels has built its hospital and medical campus in Jette, while its other buildings are in the so-called Etterbeek campus actually...
and to a path in the Parc Baudouin.