Roger Van de Wouwer

Le Désordre alphabétique, a film about surrealism in Belgium, written and directed by Claude François, produced by Image Création (2012).

A bout portant, a film bout Roger Van de Wouwer, directed by Claude François, written by Jean Wallenborn and Claude François, produced by PBC Pictures, Ambiances asbl, RTBF/Unité Documentaire, with support of the Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Communauté Française de Belgique and the Walloon distributors (2006).

Roger Van de Wouwer has often use artistic trends to his advantage, but sometimes preceded them. His picture Tableau reproduces the definition of the word “tableau” (painting) as it is found in the dictionary, long before conceptual art made it common practice. This is only one of the multiple ways he questioned the meaning and function of images. Hence, the work of Roger Van de Wouwer is related to the style of Marcel Duchamp and his ready-made art. However, it also in contradiction with them, namely when he reproduced, with his paintbrush and scrupulous precision, the enlarged picture of an electronic circuit (La Transmission de la pensée) or used images with intriguing scientific origins. At the beginning of his career, more than merely seducing the eyes, every painting forced the mind to think in a different way. Later, he painted series, bringing together on the canvas elements in which the distance in meaning intensifies the power of the image: the cycles of combustion engines together with Manneken Pis, erected members combined with various crosses, diagrams of modern physics embedded in alchemical symbols, etc. There are numerous paintings based on «le défi et la révolte» (challenge and rebellion), as recommended by Paul Nougé. One of these paintings can certainly be understood as a manifesto: it depicts a boxing glove coloured as if it were a painter's palette (La Décantation). Together with fr:Gilles Brenta, Van de Wouwer created a series of paintings (Douaniers sans frontières) whose attraction lies in the complementarity of the painters, each completing half-paintings started by the other. This project, completed in 1995, was the last important work of Roger Van de Wouwer, who died 22 October 2005.

Roger Van de Wouwer's first solo exhibition took place in 1963 in the Library-Gallery of Henri Mercier in Brussels, where several paintings (Galathée, L'incorruptible) created a scandal and led to legal complaints. fr:Tom Gutt reacted by writing a pamphlet in which he accurately described Roger Van de Wouwer's creative mind. He wrote:

Roger Van de Wouwer (21 July 1933 in Hoboken, Antwerp – 22 October 2005 in Wilrijk, Antwerp) was a Belgian surrealist painter and illustrator.

Roger Van de Wouwer (sometimes incorrectly : Roger Van de Wouver) was born on 21 July 1933 in Hoboken (Antwerp). At the age of 16, eager to become a photographer, he attended daytime drawing classes at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp and evening courses at the " Vrije Nijverheids- en Beroepsschool", a school where technicians were trained for the Gevaert factory (now Agfa-Gevaert). He specialised in developing and producing photographic materials. After his military service, during which he had the opportunity to go to the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts of Brussels, he was hired by the photoengraver De Schutter. In 1955 he was hired by Gevaert, where he stayed until his retirement. There he met Leo Dohmen, a great disciple of surrealism, who introduced him to Gilbert Senecaut, who in turn introduced him to fr:Tom Gutt. These three encounters were critical for the young painter.