Artist: Roger Hebbelinck (Belgian, 1912 – 1987)
Title: Ypres (St Martin’s Cathedral)
Medium: Original Artist Proof Aquatint etching on wove paper.
Signature: Pencil signed by the Artist.
Dimensions: Image size 7 3/4 x 12 1/2 inches.
Framed Dimensions: Approximately 15 7/8 x 19 7/8 inches.
Framing: This piece has been professionally matted and framed using all new materials.
St. Martin’s Cathedral (Dutch: Sint-Maartenskathedraal), also called St Martin’s Church (Dutch: Sint-Maartenskerk), is a church and former cathedral in the Belgian city of Ypres. It was a cathedral and the seat of the former diocese of Ypres from 1561 to 1801, and is still commonly referred to as such. At 102 metres (335 ft) tall, it is among the tallest buildings in Belgium. Construction started on the church in 1230, and was finished in 1370. There had previously been a Romanesque church in the area, dating from the 10th or 11th century. The diocese was originally part of the Diocese of Thérouanne, which had been established in the 7th or 8th century. In 1553 Charles V besieged the city of Thérouanne, then a French enclave in the Holy Roman Empire, in revenge for a defeat by the French at Metz. After he captured the city he razed the city. In 1557, as a result of the war damage to its see, the diocese was abolished. This led to a reform of sees at the Council of Trent, Council of Trent, and the bishopric of Thérouanne was split between the Diocese of Saint-Omer, the diocese of Boulogne and the Diocese of Ypres. With this, Saint Martin’s Church was elevated to cathedral status, as it became the see of the new diocese. After the Concordat of 1801 between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, Ypres was incorporated into the diocese of Ghent, and Saint Martin’s lost its status as a cathedral. As with many former cathedrals (proto-cathedrals), it is often still referred to as a cathedral by locals. It was heavily damaged during the First World War. Subsequently (1922–1930) the ruin was cleared and the church was entirely rebuilt following the original plans, although the tower was built with a higher spire than the original. Cornelius Jansen, the father of the theological movement Jansenism, was Bishop of Ypres from 1635 to 1638. He is buried in the cathedral. Count Robert III of Flanders, popularly known as The Lion of Flanders, is also buried in the cathedral.
LISTED ARTIST Roger Hebbelinck was a Belgian artist. Roger Hebbelinck was born August 12th 1912 in Brussels, Belgium. Roger Hebbelinck studied drawing at the Academie Des Beaux Arts in Brussels under Professors: Stevens, Van Strydonck & Delville, in whose class Hebbelinck achieved a first for antique figure drawing. Later he took up oil painting under the tuition of Professor Bastien and also landscape painting in particular under Nathieu. Roger Hebbelinck also studied the history of art of human and animal anatomy as well as history of costume. Further studies were devoted to the designing of the human body, under Professor Dierick, at the academy of Fine Arts in Brussels & watercolour under the direction of I.S Van Mens, the noted Dutch Aquarelliste. Among other things, he made the documentary La Naissance d’une Eau-forte who won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival and a documentary about the Atomium building . As an artist, he founded a etching press studio before the war in 1932 and etched many picturesque cityscapes in Belgium. He also etched and watered in southern France and Spain. Special are his color schemes that he made for the work of his colleagues V. de Saedeleer and A. Saverys. He signed this with the pseudonym “Belin”. Hebbelinck’s work was regularly shown in exhibitions in Belgium and France and is represented in many important collections.