A little further down Petegemstraat, at number 49, you will pass Raveel's childhood home. This is where he spent his early years.

Roger was often ill as a child. Why? The stories differ. According to one account, he fell into a tub of dirty water. Another story says that he bet a friend that he could hold his breath underwater and ended up swallowing a mouthful of dirty water. Whatever the case, little Roger had lung problems, often had to stay at home and devoted himself to drawing. As a child, he drew everything around him, and by the age of seven he had mastered the rules of perspective. His mother encouraged him in this, and his father also supported his childhood dream of becoming an artist.

From the age of twelve to sixteen, he studied painting at the Municipal Academy of Deinze, later studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. There he was taught by Jos Verdegem and Hubert Malfait, among others. After completing his training, he rebelled against his Flemish Expressionist predecessors and became fascinated by the contemporary art scene. He was influenced by the works of Fernand Léger, Vincent van Gogh and Henri Matisse. Together with painter friends from the academy, he founded the group La Relève, which organised regular exhibitions for a year and a half.

Continue along Petegemstraat until you reach the corner with Donkerstraat, then turn right.