Frans De Bruyn
Sketches from 1894-95
Softcover: 256 Pages265 x 360 mm
Munken Print 90 gsm
Fuego Mat 285 gsm
Typeface: Golden Type ITC Std Regular
This book is both an archive and a conversation. It brings together the two surviving sketchbooks of Frans De Bruyn, reproduced in full to preserve their fragile originals and make their contents accessible for study and reflection. Each page reveals the hand of a young artist in formation, drawing, observing and learning to see. The design of the book extends this dialogue. Using his sketches as a foundation, I shaped the layout and crafted a cover that wraps around his work, intertwining his lines with my design. The result is a meeting point between generations, where his practice and mine merge.
Frans De Bruyn (1867–1943) was a Belgian painter known for his landscapes and rural scenes. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where he honed his skills in capturing the natural world. During his student years, he filled sketchbooks with exercises and observations. He is also my great-great-grandfather, the grandfather of my grandmother. Though little is published about his life, these sketchbooks offer a rare window into his early artistic journey and the education of his time.
This volume aims to share his work, while opening a space for further research, reflection, and connection. It is both a document and a beginning, a record of learning, a family archive, and a design that wraps history in a new form.
Frans De Bruyn (1867–1943) was a Belgian painter known for his landscapes and rural scenes. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where he honed his skills in capturing the natural world. During his student years, he filled sketchbooks with exercises and observations. He is also my great-great-grandfather, the grandfather of my grandmother. Though little is published about his life, these sketchbooks offer a rare window into his early artistic journey and the education of his time.
This volume aims to share his work, while opening a space for further research, reflection, and connection. It is both a document and a beginning, a record of learning, a family archive, and a design that wraps history in a new form.