Emile Claus - Waterloo Bridge in the Sun, 1916
Emile Claus (27 September 1849 – 14 June 1924) was a Belgian painter.
Emile Claus (1849 - 1924)Afternoon Along the River
Emile Claus (27 September 1849 – 14 June 1924) was a Belgian painter.
Emile Claus - Summer (1893)
The Flemish painter Emile Claus was a great admirer of the French Impressionist Claude Monet. No surprise, then, that he would become a pioneer of so-called Luminism, the Belgian brand of Impressionism. This evocation of Summer from 1893 demonstrates quite clearly how light and colour assumed an even more important role than previously in Claus’s paintings. Amidst the ripe cornstalks, a peasant woman is herding a cow. The trees further in the background obscure the sky. The painting offers very little in the way of realistic detail. The composition is more about the luminosity of the colours. It is as if Claus was blinded by the bright sunlight that floods the scene from the right. And perhaps he was, because, as a so-called pleinairist, Claus used to paint in the outdoors to capture the changing seasons and weather conditions directly. The landscape around the river Lys and peasant life would continue to inspire him, canvas after canvas.
This painting mimics the luminosity of a hot summer’s day perfectly. By applying small, nervous streaks of paint, Claus creates the illusion of shimmering light and air. In fact, you can almost sense the heat of summer radiate from the canvas.
(KMSKA)
Emile Claus, A Corner of My Garden
Emile Claus (27 September 1849 – 14 June 1924) was a Belgian painter.
Emile Claus was born on 27 September 1849, in Sint-Eloois-Vijve, a village in West-Flanders (Belgium), at the banks of the river Lys. Emile was the twelfth child in a family of thirteen. Father Alexander was a grocer-publican and for some time town councillor. Mother Celestine Verbauwhede came from a Brabant skipper’s family and had her hands full with her offspring.
As a child, little Emile already loved drawing and on Sunday went three kilometres on foot to the Academy of Waregem (the neighbouring town) to learn how to draw. He graduated from the Academy with a gold medal. Although father Claus allowed him to take drawing classes, he did not fancy an artist’s career for his son. Instead, he sent Emile as a baker’s apprentice to Lille (France). Emile learned French there but the job of a baker clearly did not appeal to him. He also worked for some time with the Belgian Railways and as a representative in the flax trade.
The urge to paint did not let go of Emile and he wrote a letter for help to the famous composer and musician Peter Benoit, who live in nearby Harelbeke and was an occasional visitor of the family. Only with some effort, Peter Benoit managed to convince father Claus to allow his son to train at the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts. Claus did have to pay for his studies himself though. After graduating, he stayed to live in Antwerp.
In 1883 Claus moved to cottage Zonneschijn (‘Sun shine’) in Astene, near Deinze (East-Flanders, Belgium), where he stayed until his death. From his living room, he enjoyed a beautiful view across the river Lys. The space and light of the country house clearly inspired him.
