Egide Godfried Guffens (22 July 1823 – 11 July 1901) was a Belgian painter. He is best known for his monumental religious and historical murals.
, with links to several other sources.
Life and work
He was born in
Hasselt
Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as its ...
. When he was only fifteen, he was admitted to the
Royal Academy of Fine Arts where he studied under
Nicaise de Keyser
Nicaise de Keyser (alternative first names: Nicaas, Nikaas of Nicasius; 26 August 1813, Zandvliet – 17 July 1887, Antwerp) was a Belgian painter of mainly history paintings and portraits who was one of the key figures in the Belgian Romantic- ...
. He later took a trip to Italy to see the works of
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...
and
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...
. While there, he met
Johann Friedrich Overbeck
Johann Friedrich Overbeck (3 July 1789 – 12 November 1869) was a German painter. As a member of the Nazarene movement, he also made four etchings.
Early life and education
Born in Lübeck, his ancestors for three generations had been Protes ...
, a member of the
Nazarene movement
The epithet Nazarene was adopted by a group of early 19th-century German Romantic painters who aimed to revive spirituality in art. The name Nazarene came from a term of derision used against them for their affectation of a biblical manner of c ...
, who had a decisive influence on his style. This prompted him to visit Germany and study the new types of mural painting that were developing there.
His largest mural is in the church of Saint George in Antwerp, which he painted together with
Jan Swerts from 1859 to 1871.
Some other prominent murals include those in the Town Halls of
Kortrijk
Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...
and Hasselt, the choir and bapistry of Saint Quentin's Cathedral and the choir of Saint Ursula's Church in
Lanaken
Lanaken (; li, Laoneke) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2007, the municipality of Lanaken had a total population of 24,724. Its area is 59.00 km² which gives a population density of 415 inhabitants ...
. His mural in the
Ypres Cloth Hall was lost during World War I.
He was a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and the
Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium
The Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique, sometimes referred to as ') is the independent learned society of science and arts of the French Comm ...
. He was also a corresponding member of the
Institut de France
The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...
. In 1900, he suffered a stroke while teaching a class at the Academy and died the following year in
Schaerbeek
(French language, French and History of Dutch orthography, archaic Dutch, ) or (contemporary Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Re ...
. Hasselt and Schaerbeek both have streets named after him.
Honours
* 1885: Commander in the
Order of Leopold.
[Handelsblad (Het) 04-11-1885]
References
Further reading
* E. Benezit, ''Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs'' (
Benezit Dictionary of Artists
The ''Benezit Dictionary of Artists'' (in French, ''Bénézit: Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs'') is an extensive publication of bibliographical information on painters, sculptors, designers and engravers created ...
), Paris, 1976.
External links
More works by Guffens@ ArtNet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guffens, Godfried
1823 births
1901 deaths
19th-century Belgian painters
19th-century Belgian male artists
Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium
People from Hasselt