August Vandecasteele - Church of Oostkerke

Kortrijk. His work can be found in numerous private collections, but also in museums in Kortrijk, Harelbeke and Zottegem. As early as 1929, the Ministry of Arts and Sciences purchased one of his works. His father was a shoemaker. In that spirit of the times, it was evident that August would learn a trade as quickly as possible. As an apprentice he worked for a blacksmith, then for a stove maker, before finally working for the “Kunstwerk-stede Gebroeders De Coene” in Kortrijk. He became a coppersmith, coppersmith and chiseler of bronze ornaments. Here he learned to forge artistic forging. It was the time of Art Nouveau and Art Déco. He was promoted to master guest and later was allowed to take charge of the metal department, because of his drive, competence and artistic taste. From primary school onwards he started drawing and painting as a hobby. During his apprenticeship he still found the time to take lessons at the Kortrijk Academy of Fine Arts. However, what he has become as a painter and graphic artist is mainly due to his predestination to become an artist, coupled with self-study and incredible dedication. The encouragement that he initially received from the management of “Kunstwerkstede De Coene”, in particular from Adolf De Coene, certainly helped him to persevere and to gain more self-confidence. As a painter and draftsman, despite his strikingly specific technique, he was neither an innovator nor a high flyer. He was only interested in the sensorially observable beauty of nature, beauty that he felt intensely and could interpret in a very suggestive and pleasant way.