Ernest Wijnants

Ernest Wijnants: Beeldhower-Sculpteur 1878-1964, Galerie Maurice Tzwern, Brussels, 25 January  - 30 March 2003

Ernest Wijnants: Beeldhower-Sculpteur 1878-1964, ex. cat. Galerie Maurice Tzwern, Brussels, 2003, pp. 13-4, no. 1

Overall the condition of the wood is very good. The proper right index finger has been reattached and there is a visible split to her proper right side. There is minor wear with areas of particular wear to the feet. The wood has been carved in sections and some of the original joints are visible.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Ernest Wijnants was born in Mechelen into a workman's family and began his career in the city's famous local industry - furniture manufactory - at the age of eleven. Furnished with a foundation in carving, and supported by his wife who ran a small grocery shop, Wijnants followed his dream to become a sculptor by enrolling in the Mechelen Academy of Fine Art and later in the Brussels Academy where he studied under Charles Van der Stappen.  At the 1913 World Fair in Ghent Wijnants exhibited Echo, showcasing an original style which combined something of the modernism of George Minne with a delicacy of line and a concentration on the feminine form. Echo was aquired by the Ghent Museum of Fine Arts, where it is still preserved.

Through the 1920s and 1930s Wijnants established himself as one of the leading exponents of Belgian sculpture. He took on a teaching position at Antwerp's Institute of Fine Arts in 1931 and in 1938 was awarded the State prize for Sculpture and the Plastic Arts. 

The present wood sculpture of Adolescence dates to around 1933.  Wijnants's inate facility with wood is perfectly captured as he uses the grain to accentuate the curves of the body and brings the surface to smooth shine. As well as the influences of archaic Greek statuary, the present figure exemplifies the artist's interest in exoticism, particularly the influence of Hindu sculpture.