Cornelius Van Leemputten (1841–1902) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

known for his scenes of farmyard animals and landscapes with shepherds and grazing sheep.Cornelius van Leemputten (1841–1902), ''Poultry in a Landscape''
at Rehs Galleries Inc

Life

Cornelius Van Leemputten was born in Werchter as the son of Jan Frans Van Leemputten and Maria Catharina Van Cleynenbreugel. His father was originally a farmer but moved to Brussels in 1852 to become a painting restorer as he had an interest and some practice in art. Cornelius and his younger brother Frans Van Leemputten were encouraged by their father to practise art.Lucien Solvay, 'Frans Van Leemputten'
at the

Biographie Nationale de Belgique The ''Biographie nationale de Belgique'' ( French; "National Biography of Belgium") is a biographical dictionary of Belgium. It was published by the Royal Academy of Belgium in 44 volumes between 1866 and 1986. A continuation series, entitled the ' ...

, Volume 26, p. 446-447 Cornelis van Leemputten Strohhaufen mit Federvieh 1865

With the exception of a few lessons from his father, Cornelius was principally self-taught through the making of studies from nature in areas such as

Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...

and the Campine region in north-eastern Belgium. In 1855 the family briefly moved to Antwerp where Cornelius attended classes at the Antwerp Academy from 1855 to 1860.'Bij Ensor Op Bezoek', Pandora Publishers, 2010, p. 267

Exhibitions

Van Leemputten participated in several international exhibitions and received gold medals in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

in 1883,

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1886,

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

in 1887 and in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

in 1896. He was awarded silver medals in Nice, Melbourne, Barcelona and Cologne. He was made a Knight of the Order of Leopold by the Belgian king in 1895.

Work

Cornelius van Leemputten is predominantly known for his

landscapes A landscape is the visible features of an area of Terrestrial ecoregion, land, its landforms, and how they integrate with Nature, natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionar ...

with

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

, similar in style to those of

Charles Jacque Charles-Émile Jacque (23 May 1813 – 7 May 1894) was a French painter of Pastoralism and engraver who was, with Jean-François Millet, part of the Barbizon School. He first learned to engrave maps when he spent seven years in the French Army. ...

. He was well known for his barnyard subjects. He was also influenced by the Romantic scenes with cattle by the Belgian artist Eugène Joseph Verboeckhoven, which he reinterpreted in a more realistic manner. His compositions often depict, with small variations, the Belgian flat countryside with low horizon, vegetation and water surfaces in the foreground and miniature figures.Gabriela Elbelová, ''Olomouc Picture Gallery: Netherlandish Painting of the 16th–18th Centuries from Olomouc Collections'', Volume 2, Olomouc Museum of Art, 2000 -, p. 86 Cornelis Van Leemputten Moutons dans les dunes

Cornelis Van Leemputten Moutons dans les dunes

Partially as a reaction to the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, the depiction of farm animals and pastoral scenes gained popularity in the nineteenth century. The simple, rural subjects perhaps evoked nostalgia in the richer city populations of the time. The seventeenth-century artist

Paulus Potter Paulus Potter (; 20 November 1625 (baptised) – 17 January 1654 (buried)) was a Dutch painter who specialized in animals within landscapes, usually with a low vantage point. Before Potter died of tuberculosis at the age of 28 he succeeded in p ...

was an influence for many of the artists of this period, including Van Leemputten. Van Leemputten was a commercially minded artist who produced a large output of even quality for the local and international markets.

Sources

* P. & V. Berko, "Dictionary of Belgian painters born between 1750 & 1875", Knokke 1981, pp. 703–704.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Leemputten, Cornelius 1841 births 1902 deaths Belgian landscape painters Animal painters 19th-century Belgian painters 19th-century Belgian male artists