6 - Frans Masereel

Frans Masereel (Blankenberge 1889 – 1972 Avignon), “Le Parvenue” (The Upstart), 1922, ink brush drawing on brownish vélin, inscribed on the reverse by the artist in pencil “No. 7, le parvenue, 1922" on the reverse, not listed in Vorms, 27.2 x 20 cm, preparatory drawing for the woodcut of the same name, also created in 1922, mounted on backing board and framed under glass with a mat in a black frame accented with gold, overall dimensions: 52 x 42 cm. Limit 540,- Around the same time, the artist friends Frans Masereel and George Grosz published the socially critical drawings that would make them famous and that are forever associated with their names. In 1922, George Grosz published his portfolio “Ecce Homo,” a collection of 100 critical to scathing depictions of big-city life, 22 of which were ultimately banned by the censors. In contrast to Grosz’s offset prints, published in a run of 10,000 copies, Masereel’s woodcuts—published as single sheets in small editions of only about 25 prints—caused far less of a stir, if only because of their limited circulation. As our drawing shows, Masereel prepared these woodcuts with great care: The format, as well as the basic composition and the details, appear at first glance to be identical to the woodcut, yet they still exhibit some fundamental differences, such as the courtyard scene in the background, which is not yet present in the drawing. Although not strictly an architectural drawing, the architecture in this drawing by Masereel is nonetheless the defining element: in the spirit of the virulent communism of the time, it defines the upstart as a beneficiary, if not an outright exploiter, of the masses enslaved by labor.