Which of these artists is Belgian? Flemish artists of the 17th century

Jan van Eyck is a key figure of the Northern Renaissance, its founder.

Van Eyck was considered the inventor of oil paints, although in fact he only improved them. However, thanks to him, the oil received universal recognition.

For 16 years, the artist was the court painter of the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, the master and the vassal also had a strong friendship, the duke took an active part in the artist’s fate, and van Eyck became an intermediary in the master’s marriage.

Jan van Eyck was a real “personality of the Renaissance”: he knew geometry well, had some knowledge of chemistry, was fond of alchemy, was interested in botany, and also very successfully carried out diplomatic assignments.

Where can I buy: De Jonckheere Gallery, Oscar De Vos Gallery, Jos Jamar Gallery, Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke Gallery, Francis Maere Gallery, Pierre Mahaux Gallery, Guy Pieters Gallery

René Magritte (1898, Lessines— 1967, Brussels)

The great joker and trickster Rene Magritte once said: “Look, I’m drawing a pipe, but it’s not a pipe.” Using an absurd combination of ordinary objects, the artist fills his paintings with metaphors and hidden meanings that make you think about the deceptiveness of the visible, the mystery of the everyday.

However, Magritte was always aloof from the other surrealists, but rather considered himself a magical realist, in particular because, surprisingly, he did not recognize the role of psychoanalysis.

The artist’s mother committed suicide by jumping from a bridge when he was 13 years old; some researchers believe that the “signature” image of a mysterious man in a coat and bowler hat was born under the impression of this tragic event.

Where to look:

In 2009, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels separated the artist's collection into a separate museum dedicated to his work.

Where can I buy: Gallery De Jonckheere, Gallery Jos Jamar, Gallery Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke, Gallery Pierre Mahaux, Gallery Guy Pieters

Paul Delvaux (1897, Ante - 1994, Woerne, West Flanders)

Delvaux was one of the most successful surrealist artists, despite the fact that he was never officially a member of the movement.

In the sad and mysterious world of Delvaux, a woman always occupies a central place. A particularly deep silence surrounds the women in the paintings; they seem to be waiting for men to awaken them.

The classic subject in Delvaux’s image is a female figure against the backdrop of an urban or rural landscape, given in perspective, surrounded by mysterious elements.

The writer and poet Andre Breton even once noted that the artist makes “our world the Kingdom of Woman, the mistress of hearts.”

Delvaux studied as an architect at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, but then transferred to the painting class. However, architecture always takes an active part in his paintings.

Where can I buy: Jos Jamar Gallery, Harold t'Kint de Roodenbeke Gallery, Lancz Gallery, Guy Pieters Gallery

Wim Delvoye (genus. 1965)

Wim Delvoye's cutting-edge, often provocative and ironic work demonstrates ordinary objects in a new context. The artist combines modern and classical subjects into subtle references and parallels.

Some of the artist's most famous works include "Cloaca" (2009-2010), a machine that parodies the action of the human digestive system, and "Art Farm" near Beijing, where Delvoye creates tattoo paintings on the backs of pigs.

The most popular was his series of pseudo-Gothic sculptures, in which openwork carvings are combined with modern subjects. One of these (“Cement Truck”) stands near the Brussels KVS theater.

Where to look:

At the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Brussels, M HKA (Antwerp), in January at the Maison Particuliere, Wim Delvoye will be a guest artist in the collective exhibition “Taboo”. Also, the sculpture “Concrete Mixer” is installed in front of the KVS theater (Royal Flemish Theater) on the square between Hooikaai / Quai au Foin and Arduinkaai / Quai aux pierres de taille streets.

Most of his works constantly travel around the world, exhibited at the best art venues.

Where can I buy:

Jan Fabre (born 1958, Antwerp)

The multi-talented Jan Fabre is known for his provocative performances, but he is also a writer, philosopher, sculptor, photographer and video artist, and is considered one of the most radical contemporary choreographers.

The artist is the grandson of a tireless researcher of butterflies, insects and spiders

Jean-Henri Fabre. Perhaps that is why the world of insects is one of the key themes of his work, along with the human body and war.

In 2002, Fabre, commissioned by Queen Paola of Belgium, decorated the ceiling of the Hall of Mirrors of the Royal Palace in Brussels (by the way, for the first time since Auguste Rodin) with millions of beetle wings. The composition is called Heaven of Delight (2002).

However, behind the iridescent surface, the artist reminds the royal family of a terrible shame - the enormous human sacrifices among the local population of the Congo during the colonization of King Leopold II for the sake of mining diamonds and gold.

According to the artist, conservative Belgian society, to put it mildly, did not like this: “The common man is often annoyed by the idea that the Royal Palace is decorated by an artist who openly calls not to vote for the right.”

Where to look:

In addition to the Royal Palace, the works of Jan Fabre can be seen in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Brussels, where, among others, his installation “Blue Look” is installed, the Museum of Contemporary Art Ghent (S.M.A.K.), M HKA (Antwerp), Belfius Art Collection (Brussels), Museum Ixelles (Brussels), as well as at curated temporary exhibitions at Maison Particuliere, Villa Empain, Vanhaerents Art Collection, etc.

Where can I buy: Jos Jamar Gallery, Guy Pieters Gallery

Jan van Eyck is a key figure of the Northern Renaissance, its founder.

Van Eyck was considered the inventor of oil paints, although in fact he only improved them. However, thanks to him, the oil received universal recognition.

Where can I buy: De Jonckheere Gallery, Oscar De Vos Gallery, Jos Jamar Gallery, Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke Gallery, Francis Maere Gallery, Pierre Mahaux Gallery, Guy Pieters Gallery

René Magritte (1898, Lessines— 1967, Brussels)

However, Magritte was always aloof from the other surrealists, but rather considered himself a magical realist, in particular because, surprisingly, he did not recognize the role of psychoanalysis.

Where to look:

In 2009, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels separated the artist's collection into a separate museum dedicated to his work.

Where can I buy: Gallery De Jonckheere, Gallery Jos Jamar, Gallery Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke, Gallery Pierre Mahaux, Gallery Guy Pieters

Paul Delvaux (1897, Ante - 1994, Woerne, West Flanders)

Delvaux was one of the most successful surrealist artists, despite the fact that he was never officially a member of the movement.

In the sad and mysterious world of Delvaux, a woman always occupies a central place. A particularly deep silence surrounds the women in the paintings; they seem to be waiting for men to awaken them.

The classic subject in Delvaux’s image is a female figure against the backdrop of an urban or rural landscape, given in perspective, surrounded by mysterious elements.

The writer and poet Andre Breton even once noted that the artist makes “our world the Kingdom of Woman, the mistress of hearts.”

Delvaux studied as an architect at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, but then transferred to the painting class. However, architecture always takes an active part in his paintings.

Where can I buy: Jos Jamar Gallery, Harold t'Kint de Roodenbeke Gallery, Lancz Gallery, Guy Pieters Gallery

Wim Delvoye (genus. 1965)

Wim Delvoye's cutting-edge, often provocative and ironic work demonstrates ordinary objects in a new context. The artist combines modern and classical subjects into subtle references and parallels.

The most popular was his series of pseudo-Gothic sculptures, in which openwork carvings are combined with modern subjects. One of these (“Cement Truck”) stands near the Brussels KVS theater.

Where to look:

Most of his works constantly travel around the world, exhibited at the best art venues.

Where can I buy:

Jan Fabre (born 1958, Antwerp)

The artist is the grandson of a tireless researcher of butterflies, insects and spiders

Jean-Henri Fabre. Perhaps that is why the world of insects is one of the key themes of his work, along with the human body and war.

Where to look:

Where can I buy: Jos Jamar Gallery, Guy Pieters Gallery

Emile Claus (Dutch Emile Claus, born September 27, 1849, Waregem - died June 14, 1924, Deinze) is a Belgian artist, one of the main representatives of impressionist painting in Belgium and the founder of Luminism.

E. Klaus was born into a large family of a rural shopkeeper. He began to study drawing at a local art school. On the advice of composer Peter Benois, Klaus entered the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts in 1869, where he studied portraiture, history and landscape painting. In 1874 he completed his studies at the Academy. In 1875, the artist successfully exhibited his works in Ghent, and in 1876 - in Brussels.

In the early period of his work, E. Klaus was mainly engaged in portrait and genre painting. He writes in a realistic manner, mainly in dark colors and uses social themes (for example, the canvas Wealth and Poverty (1880)). In 1879, the artist travels through Spain, Morocco and Algeria. In 1882 he made his debut at the Paris Salon, where Klaus presented his painting Cockfight in Flanders (1882). From that moment on, he spent a lot of time in Paris, especially in winter, and fell under the creative influence of the French artist Bastien-Lepage, who also wrote on social issues in a realistic manner.

With the advent of financial wealth in 1883, the artist bought the villa Zonneschijn (Sunshine) in his homeland. In 1886 he married Charlotte Dufault, the daughter of a notary from neighboring Deinze. During this period, Klaus painted mainly landscapes of his native nature, designed in a realistic style. While living in the countryside, he maintained friendly relations and carried on a lively correspondence with the artist Albin van den Abele, the sculptor Constantin Meunier, and the writers Cyril Beusse and Emile Verhaeren. Through them, as well as through the artist Henri Le Sidane, Klaus discovers the phenomenon of French impressionism. Acquaintance with the works of the Impressionists also changes the painting of E. Klaus himself - his colors become lighter and warmer: he pays more attention to the interaction of light and shadow, due to which formal issues recede into the background (Kingfishers (1891)). Among the French impressionists, Claude Monet had a special influence on the painting of E. Klaus. In the works of both artists, not only the color scheme is similar, but even the almost identical selection of subjects for their canvases (in the London period). The constant search for new forms of expression and light experiments made E. Klaus the direct predecessor of such a movement in Belgian painting as luminism. In Paris, Klaus also makes friends with famous cultural figures, including writers Emile Zola and Maurice Maeterlinck.

Until the outbreak of the First World War, the artist trained many students, including Anna de Weert, Robert Hutton Monks, Torajiro Kojima, Georges Morrin, Leon de Smet and others. In November 1893 he joined the art group Union Artistique. Its goal was - like that of similar groups of French impressionists - to organize exhibitions and sell paintings. In addition, Klaus's works appeared at exhibitions of the Brussels union of artists La Libre Esthétique in 1896 and at the Berlin Secession. In 1904, E. Klaus created, together with the painter Georges Beuisse, the group Vie et Lumière, which was later joined by such artists as James Ensor, William Degouve de Nuncwe and Adrian Heymans.

Right up to the First World War, E. Klaus traveled a lot - he repeatedly visited Paris and the Netherlands: in 1907 he toured the USA, in 1914 - to the Cote d'Azur of France. Just before the entry of German troops into his hometown in 1914, the artist managed to emigrate to England. Here he lives in London, in a house on the banks of the Thames. The main theme for the master’s work during the years of exile was this London river. E. Klaus's paintings of Thames landscapes, painted in a post-impressionist manner, enjoyed great success both in London and Brussels after the war.

After the end of hostilities, E. Klaus returned to his villa in Asten. Here he died in 1924 and was buried in his garden. A marble monument by Georges Minnet was erected at the master’s grave.

Among them you can also see a portrait of one of the most famous masters of Flanders of that era, Adrian Brouwer (1606-1632) , whose paintings were collected by Rubens himself (there were seventeen of them in his collection). Each of Brouwer's works is a pearl of painting. The artist was endowed with enormous color talent. He chose as the theme of his work the everyday life of the Flemish poor - peasants, beggars, vagabonds - tedious with its monotony and emptiness, with its wretched entertainment, sometimes disturbed by an outbreak of wild animal passions. Brouwer continued the traditions of Bosch and Bruegel in art with his active rejection of the squalor and ugliness of life, stupidity and animal baseness of human nature and at the same time a keen interest in what is uniquely characteristic. It does not aim to reveal to the viewer a broad background of social life. Its strength lies in its depiction of specific genre situations. He especially has the ability to express in facial expressions the various affects of feelings and sensations experienced by a person. In contrast to Rubens, van Dyck and even Jordanes, he does not think about any ideals or noble passions. He sarcastically observes a person as he is. In the museum you can see his painting “Drinking Buddies”, remarkable for its delicate light coloring, strikingly conveying the lighting and atmospheric state. The miserable cityscape near the ramparts, along with the vagabond players, evokes a heart-piercing melancholy in the soul. This mood of the artist himself, speaking about the dull hopelessness of existence, is certainly deeply dramatic.

Frans Hals

The Dutch painting department is relatively small, but it contains paintings by Rembrandt, Jacob Ruisdael, small Dutchmen, masters of landscape, still life, and genre scenes. A curious portrait of the merchant Willem Heythuissen, the work of the great Dutch artist Frans Hals (1581/85-1666) . Heythuissen was a rich, but narrow-minded and extremely vain man. Rustic by nature, he nevertheless strove to resemble noble aristocrats with the elegance that his wealth seemed to allow him to acquire. The claims of this upstart are ridiculous and alien to Khals. That’s why he so persistently, with a certain amount of sarcasm, makes the portrait image ambiguous. First we notice Heythuissen's relaxed pose, his rich, elegant suit, his hat with a smartly twisted brim, and then - an expressionless, pale, already middle-aged face with a dull look. The prosaic essence of this man comes through, despite all the tricks to hide it. The internal contradiction and instability of the image is revealed most of all by the original composition of the portrait. Heythuissen, with a whip in his hand, as if after a horse ride, sits on a chair, which he seems to be rocking. This pose suggests that the artist quickly captured the state of the model in a short period of time. And the same pose gives the image a hint of some inner relaxation and lethargy. There is something pathetic in this man, who is trying to hide from himself the inevitable decay, the vanity of desires and inner emptiness.

Lucas Cranach

In the section of German painting of the Brussels Museum, the brilliant work of Lucas Cranach the Elder attracts attention. (1472-1553) . This is a portrait of Dr. Johann Schering, dated 1529. The image of a strong-willed, strong man is typical of the art of the German Renaissance. But Cranach every time captures the individual qualities of mind and character and reveals them in the physical appearance of the model, sharply captured in its uniqueness. In Shering's stern gaze, in his face one can feel some kind of cold obsession, rigidity and intransigence. His image would be simply unpleasant if his enormous inner strength did not evoke a feeling of respect for the unique character of this man. The virtuosity of the artist’s graphic skill is astounding, as he so keenly conveyed the ugly large facial features and many small details of the portrait.

Italian and French collections

The collection of paintings by Italian artists may arouse the interest of museum visitors, as it contains works by Tintoretto, the great painter, the last titan of the Italian Renaissance. "Execution of St. Mark" is a painting from a cycle dedicated to the life of the saint. The picture is permeated with stormy drama and passionate pathos. Not only people, but also the sky in torn clouds and the raging sea seemed to mourn the death of a person.

The masterpieces of the French collection are a portrait of a young man by Mathieu Lenain and a landscape by Claude Lorrain.

Its section of old art currently includes more than one thousand one hundred works of art, many of which are capable of delivering deep aesthetic pleasure to the viewer.

Jacques Louis David

The second part of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts is the collection of art from the 19th and 20th centuries. They contain mainly works by Belgian masters. The most outstanding work of the French school stored in the museum is “The Death of Marat” by Jacques Louis David (1748-1825) .

David is a famous artist of France, the head of revolutionary classicism, whose historical paintings played a huge role in awakening the civic consciousness of his contemporaries in the years preceding the French bourgeois revolution. Most of the artist’s pre-revolutionary paintings were based on subjects from the history of Ancient Greece and Rome, but revolutionary reality forced David to turn to modernity and find in it a hero worthy of being an ideal.

“Maratu - David. Year two” - this is the laconic inscription on the picture. It is perceived as an epitaph. Marat - one of the leaders of the French Revolution - was killed in 1793 (according to revolutionary calculations in the second year) royalist Charlotte Corday. The "Friend of the People" is depicted at the moment of death immediately following the blow. The bloody knife was thrown near the healing bath where he worked despite physical suffering. A harsh silence fills the picture, which sounds like a requiem for a fallen hero. His figure is powerfully sculpted with chiaroscuro and likened to a statue. The thrown head and the fallen hand seemed frozen in eternal, solemn peace. The composition amazes with the rigor of the selection of objects and the clarity of linear rhythms. The death of Marat was perceived by David as a heroic drama of the fate of a great citizen.

The Belgian Francois Joseph Navez became a student of David, who lived the last years of his life in exile and Brussels. (1787-1863) . Until the end of his life, Navez remained faithful to the tradition created by his teacher, especially in portraiture, although he introduced a certain touch of romantic interpretation of the image into this genre. One of the artist’s famous works, “Portrait of the Emptynne Family,” was painted in 1816. The viewer is involuntarily conveyed that the young and beautiful couple are united by feelings of love and happiness. If a woman’s image is full of calm joy, then a man’s image is fraught with some romantic mystery and a slight shade of sadness.

Belgian painting of the 19th and 20th centuries

In the halls of the museum you can see works by the largest Belgian painters of the 19th century: Henri Leys, Joseph Stevens, Hippolyte Boulanger. Jan Stobbarts is represented by one of his best paintings, “Farm in Kreiningen,” which truthfully depicts peasant labor in Belgium. Although the artist was self-taught, the painting has a superb composition and is distinguished by its high quality of painting. Its theme may have been inspired by Rubens' painting The Return of the Prodigal Son. Stobbarts was one of the first 19th century painters to proclaim the principles of realism.

The beginning of his artistic career was difficult. The Antwerp public, accustomed to the romantic concept of the artistic image, rejected his truthful paintings with indignation. This antagonism was so strong that Stobbarts was eventually forced to move to Brussels.

The museum has twenty-seven paintings by the famous Belgian artist Henri de Braquelaere (1840-1888) , who was the nephew and student of A. Leys, an outstanding historical painter. De Brakeler's heightened interest in the national history of Belgium, its traditions, way of life, and culture was combined with some strange feeling of love, full of slight regret and longing for the past. His genre scenes are permeated with memories of the past, his characters resemble people of bygone centuries, being surrounded by ancient things and objects. There is undoubtedly a moment of stylization in de Brakeler's work. In particular, his painting “Geographer” is reminiscent of the works of the 17th century Dutch masters G. Metsu and N. Mas. In the picture we see an old man sitting on a 17th-century velvet stool, immersed in the contemplation of an ancient painted satin.

Painting by James Ensor (1860-1949) "Lady in Blue" (1881) bears traces of the strong influence of French Impressionism. The picturesque range consists of blue, bluish-gray and green tones. A lively and free stroke conveys vibration and air movement.

The pictorial interpretation of the painting turns an everyday motif into a poetic scene. The artist’s heightened pictorial perception, penchant for fantasy, and constant desire to transform what he sees into something unusual are also reflected in his brilliant still lifes, the most successful example of which is the Brussels “Scat”. The sea fish is repulsively beautiful with its sharp pink color and shape that seems to blur before the eyes, and there is something unpleasant and disturbing in its bewitchingly piercing gaze, directed directly at the viewer.

Ensor lived a long life, but the activity of his work falls for the period from 1879 to 1893. Ensor's irony and rejection of the ugly traits of human nature with merciless sarcasm are manifested in numerous paintings depicting carnival masks, which can also be seen in the Brussels Museum. Ensor's continuity with the art of Bosch and Bruegel is undeniable.

The most wonderful colorist and gifted sculptor who died in the First World War, Rick Wouters (1882-1916) presented in the museum with both paintings and sculptures. The artist experienced the strong influence of Cezanne, joined the movement of the so-called “Brabantine Fauvism”, but nevertheless became a deeply original master. His temperamental art is permeated with an ardent love for life. In "The Lady with a Yellow Necklace" we recognize his wife Nel, perched in a chair. The festive sound of yellow curtains, a red checkered blanket, green garlands on the wallpaper, and a blue dress evokes a feeling of joy of existence that captures the whole soul.

The museum houses several works by the outstanding Belgian painter Permeke (1886-1952) .

Constant Permeke is widely known as the head of Belgian Expressionism. Belgium was the second country after Germany where this movement gained great influence in the artistic environment. The heroes of Permeke, mostly people from the people, are depicted with deliberate roughness, which, according to the author's idea, should reveal their natural strength and power. Permeke resorts to deformation and a simplified color scheme. Nevertheless, in his “Betrothed” there is a kind of monumentalization of, albeit primitive, images, a desire to reveal the character and relationship of the sailor and his girlfriend.

Among the masters of the realistic movement of the 20th century, Isidore Opsomer and Pierre Polus stand out. The first is known as a wonderful portrait painter ("Portrait of Jules Destre"), the second - as an artist who devoted his work, like C. Meunier, to depicting the difficult life of Belgian miners. The museum's halls also display works by Belgian artists belonging to other movements in contemporary art, mainly surrealism and abstractionism.

L. Aleshina

A small country that in the past gave the world a number of the greatest artists - just to name the van Eyck brothers, Bruegel and Rubens - Belgium by the beginning of the 19th century. experienced a long stagnation of art. A certain role in this was played by the politically and economically subordinate position of Belgium, which until 1830 did not have national independence. Only when, from the beginning of the new century, the national liberation movement developed more and more, did art come to life, which soon occupied a very important place in the cultural life of the country. It is at least significant that, in comparison with other European countries, the number of artists in small Belgium relative to the population was very large.

In the formation of Belgian artistic culture of the 19th century. The great traditions of national painting played a major role. The connection with traditions was expressed not only in the direct imitation of many artists by their outstanding predecessors, although this was characteristic of Belgian painting, especially in the middle of the century. The influence of traditions affected the specifics of the Belgian art school of modern times. One of these specific features is the commitment of Belgian artists to the objective world, to the real flesh of things. Hence the success of realistic art in Belgium, but hence some limitations in the interpretation of realism.

A characteristic feature of the country's artistic life was the close interaction throughout the century of Belgian culture with the culture of France. Young artists and architects go there to improve their knowledge. In turn, many French masters not only visit Belgium, but also live in it for many years, participating in the artistic life of their little neighbor.

At the beginning of the 19th century, classicism dominated in painting, sculpture and architecture in Belgium, as in many other European countries. The most important painter of this period was François Joseph Navez (1787-1869). He studied first in Brussels, then from 1813 in Paris with David, whom he accompanied in emigration to Brussels. During the years of his Belgian exile, the remarkable French master enjoyed the greatest authority among local artists. Navez was one of David's favorite disciples. His creativity is unequal. Mythological and biblical compositions, in which he followed the canons of classicism, are lifeless and cold. The portraits that make up most of his legacy are very interesting. In his portraits, close and attentive observation and study of nature were combined with a sublimely ideal idea of the human personality. The best features of the classicist method - strong compositional structure, plastic fullness of form - are harmoniously fused in Navez's portraits with the expressiveness and specificity of the image of life. The portrait of the Hamptinne family (1816; Brussels, Museum of Modern Art) seems to have the highest artistic quality.

The difficult task of a portrait with three characters was successfully solved by the artist. All members of the young family - a married couple with a little daughter - are depicted in lively, relaxed poses, but with a feeling of a strong internal connection. The color scheme of the portrait testifies to Navez’s desire to comprehend the classical traditions of Flemish painting, dating back to van Eyck. Pure shining colors merge into a joyful harmonic chord. The excellent portrait of the Hamptinne family is close in its plastic power and documentary accuracy to David’s later portrait works, and in its lyricism and desire to convey the inner life of the soul it is associated with the already emerging romanticism. Even closer to romanticism is a self-portrait of Navez at a young age (1810s; Brussels, private collection), where the artist depicted himself with a pencil and album in his hands, vividly and intently peering at something in front of him. Navez played a very significant role as a teacher. Many artists studied with him, who later formed the core of the realistic movement in Belgian painting.

The growth of revolutionary sentiment in the country contributed to the triumph of romantic art. The struggle for national independence led to a revolutionary explosion in the summer of 1830, as a result of which Belgium broke ties with the Netherlands and formed an independent state. Art played an important role in the events that unfolded. It aroused patriotic feelings and incited rebellious sentiments. As is known, the immediate cause of the revolutionary uprising in Brussels was the performance of Aubert's opera "The Mute of Portici".

On the eve of the revolution, a patriotic direction in the historical genre was emerging in Belgian painting. The leader of this trend was the young artist Gustave Wappers (1803-1874), who in 1830 exhibited the painting “The Self-Sacrifice of Burgomaster van der Werff at the Siege of Leiden” (Utrecht, Museum). Glorifying the heroic deeds of their ancestors, the masters of this movement turn to the romantic language of forms. The pathetic elation of the figurative structure, the increased colorful sound of color were perceived by contemporaries as a revival of the primordial national painting traditions, most clearly represented by Rubens.

In the 30s Belgian painting, thanks to historical paintings, is gaining recognition in European art. Its programmatic and patriotic character, which served the general objectives of the country's development, determined this success. Wappers, Nicaise de Keyser (1813-1887), Louis Galle were among the most popular artists in Europe. However, very soon this direction revealed its limited sides. The most successful were those works that reflected the pathos of the national liberation movement of the people, which were inspired by the heroism of past and present fights for freedom. It is no coincidence that the greatest success fell on Wappers’ painting “September Days 1830” (1834-1835; Brussels, Museum of Modern Art). The artist created a historical canvas on modern material and revealed the significance of revolutionary events. One of the episodes of the revolution is shown. The action takes place in the central square of Brussels. The violent surge of the popular movement is conveyed by an unbalanced diagonal composition. The arrangement of the groups and some of the figures evoke Delacroix’s painting “Liberty Leading the People,” which was an undoubted model for the artist. At the same time, Wappers in this painting is somewhat external and declarative. His images are partly characterized by theatrical showiness, demonstrativeness in expressing feelings.

Soon after Belgium gained independence, historical painting lost its depth of content. The theme of national liberation is losing its relevance, its social basis. The historical picture turns into a magnificent costume spectacle with an entertaining plot. Two trends in historical painting are crystallizing; on the one hand, these are monumental, pompous canvases; Another direction is characterized by a genre interpretation of history. National traditions of painting are understood very superficially - as a sum of techniques and means not determined by the influence of the era. Many artists are appearing who see their entire vocation in painting genres, like the “masters of the 17th century,” or historical scenes, “like Rubens.”

Antoine Joseph Wirtz (1806-1865) pretentiously, but unsuccessfully, strives to combine the achievements of Michelangelo and Rubens in his enormous historical and symbolic canvases. Hendrik Leys (1815-1869) first painted small genre-historical paintings, imitating the coloring of Rembrandt. Since the 60s he switches to extensive multi-figure compositions with everyday scenes from the Northern Renaissance, in the manner of execution of which he follows the naive precision and detail of the masters of this period.

Among the numerous historical painters of the mid-century, Louis Galle (1810-1887) deserves mention, whose paintings are distinguished by restraint and laconic composition, and his images are distinguished by a certain internal significance and nobility. A typical example is the painting “Last Honors to the Remains of the Counts of Egmont and Horn” (1851; Tournai, Museum, repeat 1863 - Pushkin Museum). These same qualities are even more characteristic of his genre paintings, such as “The Fisherman’s Family” (1848) and “Slavonets” (1854; both Hermitage).

Gradually, Belgian historical painting is losing its leading role in the system of genres, and to the fore from about the 60s. household painting is coming forward. Mid-century genre painters tended to imitate 17th-century artists, turning to creating entertaining scenes in taverns or cozy home interiors. These are many of the paintings of Jean Baptiste Madou (1796-1877). Hendrik de Brakeler (1840-1888) was very traditional in his subjects, depicting lonely figures at a quiet activity in light-filled interiors. His merit lies in solving the problem of lighting and airy atmosphere using modern painting.

The capitalist development of the country, which took place at a very rapid pace after gaining independence, already in the 60s. posed new problems for art. Modernity is increasingly beginning to invade the artistic culture of Belgium. The younger generation of artists puts forward the slogan of realism, displaying the characteristic aspects of the surrounding life. In their aspirations they relied on the example of Courbet. In 1868, the Free Society of Fine Arts was founded in Brussels. The most significant of its participants were Charles de Groux, Constantin Meunier, Felicien Rops, Louis Dubois. All of them came out with the slogan of realism, with a call to fight against old art, with its themes far from life and outdated artistic language. The mouthpiece of the aesthetic views of this society was the magazine "Free Art", which began publishing in 1871. The most active participant in the Free Society of Fine Arts was Charles de Groux (1825-1870) already from the late 40s. became famous for his paintings of the life of the lower strata of society. His style of writing is close to Courbet. The coloring is kept in dark, restrained tones, emotionally corresponding to the painful gloom of what is depicted. Such is the painting “Coffee Roaster” (60s; Antwerp, Museum); it shows poor people warming themselves outside on a dark, cold winter's day near a roaster where coffee beans are being roasted. Deep sympathy for the disadvantaged characterizes the artist’s work.

Realism in Belgium very soon gained a strong position in all genres of art. A whole galaxy of landscape painters appears, truthfully and at the same time diversely depicting their native nature - the so-called Tervuren school (named after a place located in the forest near Brussels). The head of the school, Hippolyte Boulanger (1837-1874), painted subtle, somewhat melancholic forest landscapes, similar in color to the Barbizon paintings. Louis Artand (1837-1890) perceived nature more energetically. Most often he depicted views of the sea and coast. His stroke is dynamic and elastic; the artist strives to convey the changing atmosphere and mood of the landscape.

Felicien Rops (1833-1898) occupied a special place in Belgian art. Despite the fact that the master spent a significant part of his creative life in France, he was an active participant in the Belgian artistic process. The artist's rather scandalous fame as a singer of Parisian cocottes often obscures his very important role in the cultural life of Belgium. Rops is one of the founders of the literary and artistic magazine Eulenspiegel (founded in Brussels in 1856) and the first illustrator of the famous novel by Charles de Coster (1867). The illustrations, made using the etching technique, provide sharp and interesting embodiments of the images of the main characters of the novel. Rops was a brilliant master of drawing and an attentive observer of modern life, as evidenced by many of his works.

Architecture of Belgium until the end of the 19th century. didn't create anything significant. In the first half of the century, several buildings were still built in the classicist style, marked by strict taste (the Academy Palace in Brussels -1823-1826, architect Charles van der Straten; greenhouses in the Botanical Garden of Brussels - 1826-1829, architects F.-T. Seys and P.-F. Ginest). Since the middle of the century, unbridled eclecticism and the desire to create lush, pompous buildings have been growing in architecture. Characteristic, for example, are the building of the stock exchange in Brussels (1873-1876, architect L. Seys), the building of the Museum of Ancient Art in the same place (1875-1885, architect A. Bala). Prosperous Belgian capitalism seeks to create a monument to its power. This is how the building of the Palace of Justice in Brussels appeared (1866-1883, architect J. Poulart - one of the most grandiose buildings in Europe in terms of size, distinguished by a pretentious and absurd accumulation and mixture of all kinds of architectural forms. At the same time, stylization plays a big role in the architecture of Belgium. Many churches are being built, town halls and other public buildings imitating Gothic, Flemish Renaissance, and Romanesque styles.

Belgian sculpture until the last quarter of the 19th century. lagged behind painting in its development. In the 30s Under the influence of patriotic ideas, several interesting statues were nevertheless created. First of all, we should note here the works of Willem Hefs (1805-1883 - his tombstone of Count Frederic de Merode, who fell in the revolutionary battles in Brussels (1837, Brussels, St. Gudula Cathedral), and the statue of General Belliard, standing on one of the squares of the capital ( 1836).The middle of the century in Belgium, as in many other countries, was marked by a decline in the art of sculpting.

During these difficult years for monumental art, the work of the greatest Belgian artist Constantin Meunier (1831-4905) was formed. Meunier began his studies at the Brussels Academy of Fine Arts in the sculpture class. Here, in the middle of the century, a conservative academic system dominated; teachers in their creativity and in their teaching followed a pattern and routine, demanding the embellishment of nature in the name of an abstract ideal. Meunier’s first plastic works were still very close to this direction (“Garland”; exhibited in 1851, not preserved). Soon, however, he abandoned sculpture and turned to painting, becoming a student of Navez. The latter, although in those years a symbol of outdated classicism, could teach confident mastery of drawing, plastic sculpting of forms in painting, and understanding of great style. Another stream of influences on the young master at this time was associated with his friendship with Charles de Groux and his acquaintance with the works of the French realists - Courbet and Millet. Meunier is looking for deeply meaningful art, the art of big ideas, but first turns not to a modern theme, but to religious and historical painting. Particularly interesting is the painting “Episode from the Peasant War of 1797” (1875; Brussels, Museum of Modern Art). The artist chooses one of the final scenes of the uprising, which ended in defeat. He portrays what happened as a national tragedy and at the same time shows the unbending will of the people. The picture is very different from other works of the Belgian historical genre of those years. Here is a different approach to understanding history, and realism in the depiction of the characters, and the soulful emotionality of the depicted, and the introduction of landscape as an active sounding environment.

At the end of the 70s. Meunier ends up in the “black country” - the industrial areas of Belgium. Here he opens up a completely new world, not yet reflected in art. Life phenomena with their completely different aspects of beauty dictated a new artistic language, their own special flavor. Meunier creates paintings dedicated to the work of miners, he paints types of miners and female miners, and captures the landscapes of this “black country.” The main note in his paintings is not compassion, but the strength of the working people. This is the innovative significance of Meunier's work. The people are not as an object of pity and sympathy, the people are as the creator of great life values, thereby already demanding a worthy attitude towards themselves. In this recognition of the great importance of working people in the life of society, Meunier objectively stood on a level with the most advanced thinkers of the era.

In his paintings, Meunier uses the language of generalization. He sculpts form using color. Its coloring is strict and restrained - one or two bright colorful spots are interspersed with gray earthy tones, making the whole harsh scale sound. Its composition is simple and monumental, it uses the rhythm of simple, clear lines. A typical painting is “Return from the Mine” (c. 1890; Antwerp, Museum). Three workers, as if walking along the canvas, are drawn in a clear silhouette against the background of a smoky sky. The movement of the figures repeats each other and at the same time varies the general motif. The rhythm of the group and the rhythm of the space of the picture create a harmonious, balanced solution. The figures are shifted to the left edge of the picture, between them and the right side frame there is an open free piece of space. The clarity and generality of the silhouette of the group, the laconicism of the image of each figure give the composition the character of an almost plastic bas-relief. Turning to a new topic that fascinated him, Meunier very soon remembered his original calling. Generalization and laconicism of the means of plastic language could be used in the best possible way to glorify the beauty of human labor. Since the mid-80s. one after another, statues and reliefs of Meunier appeared, glorifying his name, constituting an era in the development of plastic arts of the 19th century. The main theme and image of the sculptor is labor, working people: hammer workers, miners, fishermen, female miners, peasants. Working people entered sculpture, previously limited to a narrow circle of conventional subjects and figures far removed from modernity. Plastic language, previously completely emasculated, again acquired significant brute force and powerful persuasiveness. The human body showed the new possibilities of beauty hidden in it. In the relief “Industry” (1901; Brussels, Menier Museum) the tension of all muscles, the elastic flexibility and strength of the figures, difficulty breathing, tearing the chest, heavy swollen arms - all this does not disfigure a person, but gives him special power and beauty. Meunier became the founder of a new remarkable tradition - the tradition of depicting the working class, the poetry of the labor process.

The people depicted by Meunier do not assume exquisitely beautiful or traditionally classical poses. They are seen and presented by the sculptor in a truly real position. Their movements are rough, as, for example, in the strong, pugnacious “Fetcher” (1888; Brussels, Menier Museum), sometimes even clumsy (“Puddler”, 1886; Brussels, Museum of Ancient Art). In the way these figures stand or sit, you feel the imprint left by labor on their appearance and character. And at the same time, their poses are full of captivating plastic beauty and strength. This is a sculpture in the true sense of the word, living in space, organizing it around itself. Under Meunier’s hand, the human body reveals all its elastic power and harsh, intense dynamics.

Meunier's plastic language is generalized and laconic. Thus, in the statue “Loader” (c. 1905; Brussels, Menier Museum) not so much a portrait was created as a generalized type, and this is what gives it great power of persuasiveness. Meunier refuses conventional academic draperies; his worker wears, so to speak, “overall clothes,” but these clothes do not crush or reduce the shape. The wide surfaces of the fabric seem to cling to the muscles; a few individual folds emphasize the movement of the body. One of Meunier's best works is Antwerp (1900; Brussels, Menier Museum). The sculptor chose not some abstract allegories to personify the hardworking and active city, but a very specific image of a port worker. The stern and courageous head, sculpted with the utmost laconicism, is firmly set on muscular shoulders. Glorifying work, Meunier does not close his eyes to its severity. One of his most stunning plastic works is the group “Mine Gas” (1893; Brussels, Museum of Ancient Art). This is a truly modern version of the eternal theme of a mother mourning her lost son. The tragic aftermath of the mine disaster is captured here. The mournful female figure bent in restrained, mute despair over the convulsively stretched naked body.

Having created countless types and images of working people, Meunier conceived in the 90s. monumental monument to Labor. It was supposed to include several reliefs glorifying various types of labor - "Industry", "Harvest", "Port", etc., as well as a round sculpture - statues of "The Sower", "Motherhood", "Worker", etc. This idea never found its final embodiment due to the death of the master, but in 1930 it was carried out in Brussels according to the sculptor's originals. The monument as a whole does not make a monumental impression. Its individual fragments are more convincing. Combining them together in the architectural version proposed by the architect Orta turned out to be rather external and fractional.

Meunier's work uniquely summed up the development of Belgian art of the 19th century. It turned out to be the highest achievement of realism in this country in the period under review. At the same time, the significance of the realistic conquests of Meunier went beyond the limits of only national art. The remarkable works of the sculptor had a huge impact on the development of world plastics.