04 may 2022, Oscar van Gelderen
The studio of... Fred Bervoets
What does the ideal studio look like? How much time does an artist spend in his studio? Is it a sacred place? This week in the 'The Artist’s studio' series: Fred Bervoets, who turns 80 next week and currently exhibits at De Zwarte Panter in Antwerp.
Do you visit your studio every day?
I used to go every day except Saturday, because then I went to archery practice. Nowadays, I have my studio at home, here I can keep on painting.
What time do you leave for your studio, and how: on foot, by bicycle, public transport or car?
I'm constantly here, always downstairs. I can't get the big works up the stairs, I always make them outside. I also sleep in the studio.
Do you hold on to certain rituals in your studio? Music or silence?
I always have the television on, otherwise it gets lonely. I don't really listen to music. I work with nitric acid on zinc slabs but also on the paintings and from those fumes - from that etching process - my face turned as red as a turkey and my body as yellow as a lemon. That's why I no longer have hairs in my nose. I've started working with nitric acid since my art friend Jan Cox passed in 1980. I talk to myself, I don't need company when I'm working.
How important is light to you?
The best light is natural light, but I am now stuck with artificial light. Unless the weather is good, because then I work outside. According to Impressionists like Monet, the best light for painting is at six o'clock in the evening, and they will know.
What does your work process look like? Do you work everywhere and all the time or does work only commence the moment you enter your studio?
I am always busy with work wherever I am, also when I am at the pub. I also work when I am with my family. Then we make drawings together.
How much time do you spend on average per day in your studio?
I am in the studio twenty-four hours a day, always busy with my work. It's my home.
Is your studio a sacred place?
It is a necessity, because without a studio you can’t do anything. The place where the work is made is your real home.
Do you receive visits there; collectors, curators or fellow artists?
I do not receive anyone in my studio. My generation of men is dead, the younger generation is preoccupied with themselves and their cell phones. I see people at openings in De Zwarte Panter, but these days I'm sitting alone in cafe De Spleet. They are no more, those men from the past. I do have contact with some former students, they have not forgotten me, and Paul Ilegems passes by regularly. He is my biographer and then comes to ask questions about the sixties, about the academy, about the military service, he knows more about my village Burcht than I do.
What is the most beautiful studio you have ever seen?
I haven’t visited that many studios. I had many beautiful studios myself, but my last studio, on the Scheldeken, was the most beautiful.
What does the ideal studio look like?
It has to be spacious, I have to be able to lay down pieces of cloth, so that I can work on several works at the same time. It must have good natural light, and be affordable. The studios used to be large, but were often dilapidated; you weren't allowed to sleep there either. I sat there wearing three pullovers, but it was beautiful. And maybe it was also the best time of my life, because so many artists had their studios nearby.
