Biography Of Frans Van Immerseel
Free from: Winkler Prins Encyclopedie van Vlaanderen
Van Immerseel, Frans, was bom at Borsbeek near Antwerp o.n the 28th June 1909.
He became a painter, caricaturist, engraver, wood-cutter, painter of stained glass windows, organizer of processions and author.
He was a pupil of Alfred Ost for drawing from early youth; Gustaaf van de Woestijne taught him painting (dass of composition at the Hoger Instituut at Antwerp);
Frans Mortelmans did the same at the Academy at Berchem near Antwerp – especially for still-life. Jules De Bruycker was his master for etching, Floris De Cuyper for anatomy;
Alfred van Nesten for costume and Herman Teirlinck for literature.
Van Immerseel started as a non-figurative painter (1927-1928) and applied himself to the advertising branch (World exhibition 1930 at Antwerp) with drawings, caricatures and wood-cuts (1928-1944).
During this period he illustrated more than 500 books. He worked for several weeklies daily and monthly papers and magazines as well for inland as abroad.
During world war II he was a war correspondent. From 1943 on he started illustrating proverbs. From 1953 on, up to the present he began designing stained glass windows.
He made a great number of those by order of the Littons lndustry (California; U.S.A.) also for Mobinda (ZaÔre), the Basilique Petit Vatican de Marie CorÈdemptrice, Clemery par Nomeny;
for the Belgian army, for chapels and industrial buildings.
He exhibited his works about 175 times. Apart from all these activities he became well-known as the organizer of processions for which he supplied detailed information about the subject,
the scenario, the drawing of the costumes, the masks, the carts and even the music. He acted as stage-manager for 26 pageants such as: the Kattestoet at leper (cats proces sion),
the SantaClaus-procession at St.-Niklaas, and the Ros Beiaardstoet (1958) in connection with the exhibition of 1958 and last but not least the pageant with 400 horses at Dendermonde;
he supervised the Geraardstoet at Geraardsbergen, the carnaval procession at Genk and Assenede; the Flemish folklore procession during the exhibition in 1958; the Goat procession at
Wilrijk on the occasion of the 1200th year of existence of the town; the Brooikensstoet (bread) in Reet; the Brueghel o.ne for Beringen and the Pallieterone for Lier. For the latter town
he designed a thousand front pennants of a good size; this suspending of the pennants created a welcome diversion in the busy parts of the town; the attention of the visitors was thus turned
on this decoration as it was still too early for the procession. Lier became Schoon Lier (beautiful Lier). The waving pennants represented a dolphin, a pelican, a postman’s horn, the promised land,
sheep heads, the legend of Saint Gummarus. Priority was given to several designs used by Felix Timmermans in his literary work (unique in Europe). The Krakelingenworp (throwing of the cracknels)
at Geraardsbergen was brought nearer again to the original version, easier to perform and at the same time with more glamour and style. There were smaller processions for the celebration of jubilees
and for the centenarians.
Van lmmerseel designed the plans for the bronze automations for the Halltower at Kortrijk, called Manten and Kalle with beUs and dock. He drew the costumes for the Peter Benoit film; in Paris he found the harnasses and swords;
he staged the big scenes of the Guldensporenslag (Battle of the golden spurs) and the fighting of the bosgeuzen (woodbeggars). He drew several pieces of scenery and took part in the acting.
He made a series of giants with movable limbs such as: Ieper the giant cat; Pietje Pek, the smoking devil with swinging tail; the flying witch on a broomstick above the witch’s kitchen, all for Ieper.
There were also Minneke Poes, a very dignified cat for Zwevegem, later bought at a bargain price by Ieper; the giant be ar sitting down made as an emblem for the tradesname of Ourson for the
Bekaert firm at Zwevegem. For Assenede there were the two self-complacent midwives with the urinating child; the thin one
(a rider on a herring) and the fat one a pig sitting on a big barrel.
For Duffel, another town, the aitist made 5 dancing giants
the exact portraits of the burgomaster, his secretary and three alderman, aU of them 25 years in the municipal office. Ultimately we may not forget to mention the Lange Wapper for Wilrijk, who can address the people and grow or shrink to his liking !
In numerous articles Van Immerseel exposed his views and the result of his research concerning the folklore in connection with his processions, with the making of stained glass windows, about proverbs and customs.
Ris work: Vlaamse Koppen, Heads of weU-known Flemish people (1929), same series of 1930; De Olewagen Sage, a series of 5 woodcuts af ter the book by Hans Grimm (1936); De Kring der seizoenen (1950); Paastijdgebakken (1959); Manten en Kalle; de Jacquemarts, de uurautomaten (1963); De garnalenvissers te paard (1973).
In course of preparation: 50.000 proverbs, quotations, maxims and standing phrases aU about the eternal feminine; 175 proverbs translated into several languages even with dialectic expressions illustrated with dozens of reproductions of appropriate glass windows. Proverbs about beguines (with 75 caricatures) and beguinages (with a series of selected coloured photographs); Lange Wapper; Reinaert de Vos (fox) (with 36 decorated tiles), stained glass windows and hundreds of proverbs also in various languages.