Jules Pierre van Biesbroeck (25 October 1873 – 27 January 1965) 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 language ...

Orientalist artist.

Life and career

He was the son of Jules Evarist van Biesbroeck, a painter of

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 ...

, but was born in Italy, in

Portici Portici (; ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Naples in Italy. It is the site of the Portici Royal Palace. Geography Portici lies at the foot of Mount Vesuvius on the Bay of Naples, about southeast of Naples itself. There i ...

, near Naples, while his parents were staying there. (In the 19th century many artists made educational trips to Italy). It was a long visit: the child was two years old by the time the family returned to Ghent. After a short period of practice with his father, van Biesbroeck was enrolled in the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

in Ghent. His first painting, "The Shepherd" (french: Le pâtre), was sold at the Triennale in Ghent. In 1888, when he was only 15 years old, he made his debut at the "Salon des Champs-Elysées" in Paris with his monumental work "The Launch of the Argo" (french: Le lancement d'Argo). The very large canvas, 7.5 by 2.6 meters, caused quite a stir because of the nakedness of his figures. When van Biesbroeck was called to Paris, his youth amazed viewers; to everyone's surprise, he obtained a "special mention". However, in order to exhibit the picture publicly, the figures had to be covered with drapery. In 1895 he began to devote himself to sculpture and his talent was rewarded by various commissions, including a monument to

François Laurent François Laurent (8 July 1810 – 11 February 1887) was a Belgian people, Belgian historian and jurisconsult. Life and works He was born in Luxembourg City. He held a high appointment in the ministry of justice for some time before he became p ...

for a square in Ghent and another in honour of Jean Volders.GazetteDrouot.com
/ref> In 1897 he came second in the Belgian "Prix de Rome" for sculpture after Henri Boncquet and in 1898 he came second in the section devoted to painting. When German troops invaded Belgium during World War I, he fled Ghent and went to

Bordighera Bordighera (; lij, A Bordighea, locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy). Geography Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, and it is possible to see the French coast with a nak ...

in Italy where he continued to paint and sculpt. He also gave art lessons to foreign residents of the town. In Italy his painting “ Deposition" is on display in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in

.Lester, p.195. In 1926 he made a trip to North Africa, where he was charmed by

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. The light and atmosphere of

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...

pushed him to use lighter colours and engage with oriental subjects.

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

had such an influence on him that he lived there for nine years until 1938. His studio, called "La Volière”, became extremely well-known throughout the city. In 1938 he returned to Ghent where he remained till his death in 1965.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biesbroeck, Jules Pierre Van 1873 births 1965 deaths 20th-century Belgian painters 20th-century Belgian sculptors Orientalist painters Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Ghent) alumni Belgian expatriates in Italy

Life and career

See also

Notes and references