Spilliaert's very first critic
Fernand Crommelynck was born in Paris on 19 November 1886, but the family moved to Brussels soon after. Fernand was introduced to theatre at an early age through his father, actor Gustave Crommelynck.1
He evolved to become a renowned author and director of poetry and plays such as Le Cocu Magnifique (1920) and was a pivotal figure of literary expressionism in Belgium. Gustave’s love of horse racing regularly brought the Crommelynck family to Ostend, where Fernand later enjoyed visiting artists James Ensor (1860-1949) and Léon Spilliaert.2 Occasionally they would have lunch at the Falstaff, where Spilliaert also met Stefan Zweig (1881-1942)3. Fernand’s brother Albert (1902-1993) was a visual artist too. In the summer of 1920, Fernand lived near Spilliaert, who was residing at 52 Nieuwpoortsesteenweg at the time. They met up regularly, along with Henri Vandeputte and Constant Permeke. Spillliaert immortalised each of them on paper. He created two portraits of Fernand Crommelynck, one of which remained in the artist’s possession his whole life.4
In 1907, publisher Edmond Deman asked Spilliaert to produce some illustrations and a cover for Crommelynck’s Le Sculpteur de masques (The Sculptor of Masks). Emile Verhaeren wrote a foreword to this thrilling, psychological play.5 Two versions of this design are preserved in public institutions; in addition, a number of concluding pieces and vignettes are held in private collections. We know Deman was dissatisfied with the result, but Crommelynck’s opinion remains a mystery. Although Spilliaert did not initially know Crommelynck personally, this collaboration formed the basis for a lasting friendship.6
In 1908, Crommelynck published about forty articles under the pseudonym ‘G.M.’ in the Ostend liberal daily Le Carillon, a reference to Georges Marquet, the director of the Kursaal and co-owner of the newspaper. Marquet, whom he met through his father, asked Crommelynck to write theatre and music reviews. In Le Carillon, he also published a first art criticism of the artist: ‘Léon Spilliaert sprung up like a young oak tree in the forest, following the course of its sap, the greed of its roots and the desire of its branches laden with foliage.’7
