61. 61AR FRANS MASEREEL (1889-1972) Night - Die Nacht 1955 Monogram on each drawing Set of 30 small Indian inks sometimes enhanced with watercolour or pastel Gemonogrammeerd op elke tekening Set van 30 kleine Oost-Indische inktekeningen soms verrijkt met aquarel of pastel Monogrammed on each drawing Set of 30 small Indian ink drawings sometimes enhanced with watercolour or pastel 7 x 13,5 cm (each drawing) Provenance / Herkomst Collection privée / Privécollectie An inscription "Au bout de la nuit, il y a le jour", FM & "La nuit chacun a son monde", Heraclitus. Born in Ghent (Belgium), Frans Masereel studied for a time at the Ghent academy, but received his training and made his career abroad. From 1911, Masereel lived in Paris, where he was influenced by French illustrators, including Théophile Steinler, Bernard Nandin and Felix Vallotton. Masereel's woodcuts, drawings and watercolours show the hustle and bustle of city life, the loneliness of the individual, and entertainment. Certain works, such as La Ville (1925) and Bilder der Grosstadt (1926), reveal a critical vision of society. In their criticism of society, Masereel's works are close to those of George Grosz, whom he discovered through Stefan Zweig and with whom he became friends. Like Grosz, Masereel was interested in the big city and had the same caricatured approach to specific characters. Masereel's work is always marked by a certain serenity and balance. Masereel himself described his artistic ambitions with a sense of the relative: "I have always felt myself to be the brother of human beings, and I wanted to express those feelings that human beings inspired in me, and also the different experiences that human beings go through in their lives; so I have somewhat neglected the search for a new aesthetic in my work, although it seems that, from time to time, I have managed to invent something new". Until his death in 1972, Masereel remained highly productive as a drawer and engraver.