Charles Verlat (1824-1890) and Victor Servranckx (1897-1965) are not usually mentioned in the same breath. The former was an 'académicien', a traditionalist, director of the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts for decades, and specialised in portrait and history painting: biblical, mythological, historical and religious themes. Servranckx, on the other hand, is known as one of the earliest abstract artists in Belgium. And yet: various youthful drawings by Verlat in the MSK collection come from Servranckx's eclectic collection. Although he himself went in a completely different direction, he certainly knew how to appreciate a good drawing, even if it came from a highly conservative artist. Verlat made the drawing during his study years at the Antwerp Academy. It illustrates an important aspect of drawing education at that time, namely drawing from a 'living' model (i.e. male nudes).
