Drawings

… I don’t know how many pen drawings Jan De Cooman made, but it must have been several hundreds. Actually, he has been drawing all of his life: pencil drawings, charcoal sketches, drawings with an etching needle, dry needle, burin. One could state that De Cooman has drawn all beautiful corners and places worth seeing in Geraardsbergen.

They are works without pretension, but look how skillful, how well-thought-out, and how meticulous they have been executed.

Do check closely, preferably with a magnifying glass, the detailed sketches that are printed in the “wandelboekje van Geraardsbergen” (=walking guide of Geraardsbergen) of Leo Van Nieuwenhove (printing office Victor Van Nieuwenhove, Markt Geraardsbergen, not dated but probably 1928), or the flyer from 1938 folder in 1938 published by the V.V.V. “Geraardsbergen in de Vlaamsche Ardennen”. You will be impressed by the true-to-life rendering. You will follow the artists view and feel the steady hand of the artist. You will stand in admiration for the virtuoso interplay of lines and the monks’ patience of the artist. …

Translated excerpt from an article by Gaston Imbo (“De Heemschutter”, 1992)

“Manneken pis” pen drawing, 1927	“Peetje nonkel”, pen drawing	“O.L.V. van Huneghem”, char coal, 1924

“Fré en Rufina De Lobel”, pencil with crayon, 1935		Cyriel Poep, pencil and crayon, 1935. In 1945 he made a lino of it.

study for etching, pen drawing, 1918	de bezoeking van St Vincentius a Paulo, pen drawing, 1927

castle de Lalaing Zandbergen, pen drawing	Beste gelukwenschen, pen drawing, 1916