CLUYSENAAR (John).

"Composition" (1944). Oil on canvas, dated, signed on the lower right corner and mounted in an aluminium frame. Frame size: 76 x 66 cm; subject: 60 x 70 cm. Painter, draughtsman and sculptor, John Cluysenaar (Antwerp, 1899 - Noville-sur-Mehaigne, 1986) began as a sculptor and obtained the Prix de Rome in 1924. Stays in Paris where he meets Despiaux and Maillol who invite him to exhibit with them at the "Salon d'Automne" in 1926. Stays in London where he makes a reputation for his busts and portraits. Around 1939, he opts for painting and drawing. He started in a figurative style, influenced by the work of Picasso, but quickly evolved towards gestural abstraction in the manner of Tobey and Pollock and towards lyrical abstraction. He then returned to figuration with a preference for fragmented, expressionist faces painted in a vigorous palette. Settles in 1955 in Noville-sur-Mehaigne (France). Works in many museums.