Frans CLAERHOUT (1919 – 2006)
Untitled I (Girl With Flower Bowl)
1998
mixed media on paper
98 x 20 cm
Untitled II (Girl With Cat)
1998
charcoal on paper
size unknown
Untitled III (Girl With Doll)
1998
mixed media on paper
28 x 42 cm
Untitled IV (Girl With Duck)
1998
mixed media on paper
29 x 20 cm
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Belgium, Frans Claerhout came to South Africa in 1946 as a Catholic priest and missionary. He was based in the then Orange Free State (now the Free State province) at the Saint Francis Mission in Thaba ‘Nchu.
Claerhout was a self-taught oil painter, his subjects being primarily people and scenes from around the mission stations where he was based. His work is expressionistic in style, with warm vibrant colours, impasto and elongated human forms for emotional emphasis. His later works include pastel, ink and pencil drawings, and monotypes, which are usually studies of single figures.
Many of his paintings are of religious scenes inspired by Christian spirituality and Biblical stories. He was commissioned to paint several murals at mission stations throughout South Africa, including Bloemfontein, Schweitzer-Reineke, Thaba ‘Nchu, Potchefstroom and Witsieshoek.
Claerhout was a founding member of the Bloemfontein Group and participated in numerous group exhibitions, including the 1960 and 1964 Quadrennial Exhibitions. His first solo exhibition was held in Johannesburg in 1961, followed by many solo shows held throughout South Africa and in Belgium, Canada, the United States and Germany. His works are represented in several public and private collections in South Africa and in Belgium.