Molse School, ''translated as "School of Mol",'' is a common term for some international paint artists or a specific genre of paintings in late 19th and early 20th century. The paintings typically show picturesque and rustic places, farms, ... of the

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 ...

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Mol, which is located in the Campine. The most famous painters of the ''Molse School'' were

Jakob Smits Jakob Smits or Jacob Smits (Rotterdam, 9 July 1855 – Achterbos (Mol), 15 February 1928) was a Dutch-Flemish painter. Background and early life He was born a son of a decorator. Jakob studied in Rotterdam at the academy and helped his fathe ...

and

Dirk Baksteen A dirk is a long bladed thrusting dagger.Chisholm, Hugh (ed.), ''Dagger'', The Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. VII, New York, NY: Cambridge University Press (1910), p. 729 Historically, it gained its name from the Highland Dirk (Scot ...

who lived in Achterbos, a hamlet of Mol. Based upon the

Barbizon school The Barbizon school of painters were part of an art movement towards Realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870. It takes its name ...

the municipality Mol organized an international art exhibition in 1907 and invited painters from all over the world. Most of these artists had not met before and their only connection was their stay in a local

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

during the exhibition. These artists were not tied by a fine art society, neither was there a common style. In total 68 artists participated at this event, showing 212 works. This exhibition was also an attempt to show the artists the beauty of Mol, its

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

, the white sand flats and how the inhabitants (mostly

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer m ...

s) lived. This attempt succeeded. Upon their return home, the artists showed their paintings to their colleagues. This resulted in those colleagues also coming over to Mol making painting

en plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...

popular. Some artists commonly categorized under the ''Molse School'' are

, Gerard Baksteen, Charles Claessens, Leon Delderenne, Paul Mathieu, Ernest Midy, Erneste Rinquet,

, Willem Battaille, Emile Van Damme-Sylva, Paula Van Rompa-Zenke, Gaston De Biemme File:Jacob Smits Het Gehucht.jpg, "The Hamlet", Jacob Smits File:Paul Mathieu 001.jpg, "Old houses on a sunny afternoon", Paul Mathieu File:Willem Battaille 001.JPG, "Along the river", Willem Bataille File:0009 Kempisch landschap 1927.jpg, "Kempisch landschap", 1927, collectie Jakob Smits Museum

References

{{Reflist Art movements Mol, Belgium