Alfred Verhaeren ( Brussels, 8 October 1849 – Ixelles, 10 February 1924) Alfred Verhaeren
at the Netherlands Institute for Art History was a Belgian painter known for his portraits, interior scenes, architectural paintings and still lifes.S. Sulzberger, ''Alfred Verhaeren''
Biographie Nationale de Belgique, Volume 32, p. 557-559 He participated in the second wave of Belgian Realism and was later influenced by Impressionism.Louise Fredericq, ''Alfred Verhaeren''
in: ''Dictionnaire des peintres belges''

Life

Alfred Verhaeren was born in Brussels. He was the cousin of the poet Émile Verhaeren. He studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts of Brussels under

Jean-François Portaels Jean-François Portaels or Jan Portaels (3 April 1818 – 8 February 1895) was a Belgian painter of genre scenes, biblical stories, landscapes, portraits and orientalist subjects. He was also a teacher and director of the Academy of Fine Arts ...

and Louis Dubois. He studied still lifes by the old masters to perfect his technique. Alfred Verhaeren - Lost in thoughts

Verhaeren was a member of the group of artists called Chrysalide founded in Brussels in 1875 and to which belonged artists such as James Ensor, Constantin Meunier and

Frans Van Leemputten Frans Van Leemputten or Frans van Leemputten (29 December 1850 – 26 November 1914) was a Belgian Realist painter who specialized in landscape paintings of the Campine and Brabantine regions in Belgium as well as scenes with villagers and anim ...

. Chrysalide held its first exhibition in 1876 and the last one in 1881. Verhaeren remained independent for a while until he joined the Cercle Pour l'Art.Jules Du Jardin, ''L'Art Flamand'', Bruxelles, A. Boitte, 1896, p. 81-85 He later joined an association for young artists, which was given the Dutch name ''Voorwaarts'' ('Forward') in 1885. Co-founders were

Franz Meerts Franz Meerts or Frans Meerts ( Ghent, 1836 – Brussels, May 1896) was a Belgian painter and aquarellist known for his interior scenes, genre scenes, still lifes and landscapes.

and Louis Baretta. Its motto was: ''Hooger is ons doel'' ('Higher is our goal'). What is remarkable is both the Dutch-language name of the association and the Dutch-language motto. Its members included Ernest Hoerickx, Léon Massaux, Emile Rimbout,

Jan Stobbaerts Jan Stobbaerts or Jan-Baptist Stobbaerts (18 March 1838 – 25 November 1914) was a Belgian painter and printmaker.Jan Stobb ...

, Pieter Stobbaerts, Eugène Surinx,

Flori van Acker Flori Van Acker or Florimond Marie Van Acker (6 April 1858 – 14 March 1940) was a neo-romantic, impressionist Belgian painter, engraver, stamp designer and director of the Academy of Bruges. Life Flori van Acker was born in Bruges in 1858. ...

and Camille Wauters. Later others joined including

Theodoor Verstraete Theodoor Verstraete, also spelled Theodor Verstraete and Théodore Verstraete (5 January 1850 – 8 January 1907) was a Belgian Realism (arts), Realist painter and printmaker who is known for his landscapes depicting life in the countryside as wel ...

, Emile Claus, Adrien-Joseph Heymans, Gustave Vanaise,

Victor Gilsoul Victor Gilsoul (1867–1939) was a Belgian impressionist, luminist and painter who worked mostly on commissions from the European nobility. Early life Victor Gilsoul was born in Brussels on October 9, 1867. Gilsoul's parents were Leopold G ...

Eugène Laermans Eugène Jules Joseph Baron Laermans (22 October 1864 – 22 February 1940) was a Belgian painter. Life He was born in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek. At the age of eleven, he contracted meningitis, which left him deaf and nearly mute (although some source ...

, August De Bats, Henri Ottevaere and Emile Van Doren. The first salon of Voorwaarts was held in 1885 in the IJzerenkruistraat in the bustling heart of Brussels. In 1888 Voorwaarts exhibited in the

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, nl, Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België) are a group of art museums in Brussels, Belgium. They include six museums: the Oldmasters Muse ...

in Brussels. The association ceased to exist in 1893.Ernest Verlat, ''Exposition du Voorwaarts 1892'' in: La Jeune Belgique, 1892, XI, 2, p. 124 Alfred Verhaeren - Interior of a church

Verhaeren participated in numerous exhibitions: in Paris in 1889, in Berlin in 1891 and at the Maison des Arts in Brussels in 1896. At the

Exposition Universelle (1900) The Exposition Universelle of 1900, better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate developmen ...

he won a silver medal. Alfred Verhaeren died in Ixelles on 10 February 1924.

Work

Verhaeren is known for his portraits, interior scenes, architectural paintings and still lifes. He was a member of the second wave of Belgian Realism and was later influenced by Impressionism. Verhaeren used a very personal technique: his intense and bright tones are heavily impasted while the surface of the painting, slightly crushed, has the appearance of enamel.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Verhaeren, Alfred 1849 births 19th-century Belgian painters Belgian male painters 19th-century Belgian male artists Belgian landscape painters Belgian still life painters Belgian portrait painters 1924 deaths