Fra Paalman
Euphrasius Franciscus Hendricus "Fra" Paalman (March 13, 1945 – April 10, 2020), was a Dutch graphic designer, visual artist and art teacher, who lived and worked in Hengelo (Overijssel), the Netherlands.
This work encompasses representations of everyday things, portraits of people, animals and landscapes, visions of the city and commentary on political events, as well as constructivist compositions and abstract images.
As a teacher, Paalman has passed on his vision, knowledge and skills to countless people, young and old, through educational programs, courses and workshops.
Paalman did not make a fundamental distinction between design and art, but saw related practices with their own ways of expressing ideas.
However, the majority of his work shows everyday things, situations and environments, seen in a different light, sometimes dark and desolate, sometimes colorful and uplifting.
[7] Here he was taught by, among others, Hans Ebeling Koning, Philip Kouwen, Wim van Stek and Geert Voskamp, who were important sources of inspiration for him.
By consequence, Paalman bought a 6 x 6 medium format photo camera and started taking photographs, and he was often found in the graphic workshop experimenting with various printing techniques.
[9] In 1965, Paalman en Rijnveld did an internship at De la Mar in Amsterdam,[10] one of the main advertising agencies in the Netherlands.
[11] At the same time, Paalman followed the 'Advertising Assistant' course through the Leiden Educational Institutions (Dutch: Leidse Onderwijsinstellingen), to gain additional knowledge and skills regarding visual communication.
[2] In his early years, Paalman mainly designed book covers, commissioned by various publishers, including Elsevier,[16] Samsom,[17] Wolters-Noordhoff,[18] Het Spectrum,[19] and Prisma.
[26][27] In addition, he participated in numerous exhibitions in the region and in the virtual Museum for Contemporary Art Hengelo (MHHK, curator Ricardo Liong-A-Kong).
[40][41] In this way, Paalman also came into contact with municipal real estate policy, urban renewal, demolition and construction plans, about which he was always critical.
The founding of Ag happened simultaneously with the organization of the manifestation 'Art on the Street', with art in public showcases, for which the foundation was a vehicle.
In addition to organizing projects, curating exhibitions and supervising exhibitors, together with other board members, he was also in charge of the graphic design of the foundation.
Paalman attended primary school in his hometown of Hengelo and subsequently the minor seminary of the Mill Hill Missionaries in Tilburg (St. Joseph-Studiehuis).
Paalman learned to play the violin at a young age and was able to continue this in Tilburg, under the guidance of the Hungarian violinist László Révész.
In addition to official assignments, he frequently made designs for family and friends, including wedding cards, birth announcements and invitations for various gatherings.
