Frank Mortelmans - Neue Sachlichkeit Portrait

Pastel on paper
c. 1930
105 by 70 cm

As a young artist Frank Mortelmans was e member of Lumiere, a group of young expressionist artists promoted by Roger Avermaete. Mortelmans however pursued his own artistic development and never fully gave into the modern -isms. In the 1930s he is one of the prominent members of Moderne Kunst, an intriguing group of artists exploring the boundaries between avant-garde and arriere-garde. Other members of the group were amongst others Paul Joostens, Pieter Rottie, Leo Bervoets and Edmond Van Dooren. This large portrait of Mlle Deloume dates from this fascinating period in Mortelmans` oeuvre.