Roger Wittevrongel
Encyclopedia
Roger Wittevrongel is a Belgian painter
, draughtsman
and graphic artist, representative of the hyperrealism.
Wittevrongel got his education in Ghent
where he combined his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts
(1953-1956) with a teacher training plastic arts in the State School (1954-1956) under the guidance of Octave Landuyt.
From 1956 up to 1971 he worked as a teacher plastic arts at the State School in Ghent. Consequently he was professor etching
, drawing and lithography
at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts in Ghent until 1997, where he got the title of honorary professor since then.
In 1954, Roger Wittevrongel made his debut in the atmosphere of Octave Landuyt, yet more in an abstract way, with work around destruction, devastation and animal heads. Around 1964 he started to paint more figuratively, mainly architectural compositions decorated with vegetable elements and female nudes surrounded by all kinds of attributes (for example painting and drawing tools). Around 1970 he comes to a hyperrealistic style with an absolute accuracy in the reproduction of what the eye could see. However, he continued to evolve within this style and concentrated on trivial subjects, which he also depicted with the greatest precision. The subjects themselves - interiors, fragments of architecture and female characters, are treated as still-lives, which gives them an abstract quality. These works in particular raise questions concerning man's relationship with visible reality. Here the astonishment is less evoked by the technical virtuosity but more by the question of the meaning of existence.
Roger Wittevrongel exhibits since 1954 in Belgium, the Netherlands
, Germany
, France
, Great Britain
, Italy
, Sweden
, Switzerland
, Japan
, Morocco
, Brazil
, Tunisia
, United States of America, Canada
, South Africa
, Taiwan
.
Prizes:
At present he lives in Bachte-Maria-Leerne near the Lys
, close to Ghent in the province of East Flanders
in Belgium.
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...
, draughtsman
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
and graphic artist, representative of the hyperrealism.
Wittevrongel got his education in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
where he combined his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts
Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Ghent)
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent is one of the oldest art schools in Belgium, now part of the Hogeschool Gent.The Academy was founded in 1741 as a private school in the home of Philippe Karel Marissal, and provided a royal charter in 1771 by empress Maria Theresa of Austria...
(1953-1956) with a teacher training plastic arts in the State School (1954-1956) under the guidance of Octave Landuyt.
From 1956 up to 1971 he worked as a teacher plastic arts at the State School in Ghent. Consequently he was professor etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
, drawing and lithography
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts in Ghent until 1997, where he got the title of honorary professor since then.
In 1954, Roger Wittevrongel made his debut in the atmosphere of Octave Landuyt, yet more in an abstract way, with work around destruction, devastation and animal heads. Around 1964 he started to paint more figuratively, mainly architectural compositions decorated with vegetable elements and female nudes surrounded by all kinds of attributes (for example painting and drawing tools). Around 1970 he comes to a hyperrealistic style with an absolute accuracy in the reproduction of what the eye could see. However, he continued to evolve within this style and concentrated on trivial subjects, which he also depicted with the greatest precision. The subjects themselves - interiors, fragments of architecture and female characters, are treated as still-lives, which gives them an abstract quality. These works in particular raise questions concerning man's relationship with visible reality. Here the astonishment is less evoked by the technical virtuosity but more by the question of the meaning of existence.
Roger Wittevrongel exhibits since 1954 in Belgium, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, United States of America, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
Prizes:
- Mention Young Belgian Painting Award in 1958, 1960, 1963
- Provincial painting prize of West Flanders in 1960
- Critics prize in 1979 and 1981
- E. Van Marcke prize in 1981
- State prize in recognition of an artistic career in 1984
At present he lives in Bachte-Maria-Leerne near the Lys
Lys River
The Leie or Lys is a river in France and Belgium, and a left tributary of the Scheldt. Its source is in Pas-de-Calais, France, and it flows into the river Scheldt in Ghent, Belgium. Its total length is ....
, close to Ghent in the province of East Flanders
East Flanders
East Flanders is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands and in Belgium on the provinces of Antwerp, Flemish Brabant , of Hainaut and of West Flanders...
in Belgium.