Egide Charles Gustave, Baron Wappers (23 August 18036 December 1874) was a Belgian painter. His work is generally considered to be

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

and he signed his work with the Dutch form of his name, Gustaaf Wappers.Note: The painter is known by one or by several forenames, in English mainly in their French language versions: ''Gustave'' or less frequently in full ''Egide Charles Gustave'' – though born in the

city of Antwerp as ''Egidius Karel Gustaaf Wappers'', and internationally also known as such though more often a
''Gustaaf Wappers''

The more rare spelling as 'Gustaf' rather approaches a usual pronunciation in the dialect of Antwerp, and occurs in signatures at the back of paintings.
The baronial title he was granted, belongs between forename(s) and surname. See e.g.
www.artfact.com
/ref>

Biography

He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and during 1826 in Paris. The

Romantic movement Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

with its new ideas about art and politics was astir in France. Wappers was the first Belgian artist to take advantage of this state of affairs, and his first exhibited painting, "The Devotion of the Burgomaster of

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

," appeared at the appropriate moment and had great success in the

Brussels Salon The Brussels Salon (; ) was a periodic exhibition of works by living artists that was held in Brussels between 1811 and 1914. It was primarily aimed at painters, but sculptors, Drawing, draughtsmen, Engraving, engravers and architects were also ...

in 1830, the year of the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...

. While political, this remarkable work revolutionized the direction of Flemish painters. Wappers was invited to the court at Brussels, and was favoured with commissions. In 1832 the city of Antwerp appointed him Professor of Painting. He exhibited his masterpiece, "Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830" or rather "Episode of the September Days of 1830 on the Grand Place of Brussels", (

Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

) at the Antwerp Salon in 1834. He was subsequently appointed painter to Leopold, King of the Belgians. At the death of Matthieu-Ignace Van Brée in 1839 he was elevated to director of the Antwerp Academy. As a teacher at the Antwerp Academy he trained a great number of pupils including

Ford Madox Brown Ford Madox Brown (16 April 1821 – 6 October 1893) was a British painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often William Hogarth, Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style. Arguably, his mos ...

Jozef Van Lerius Joseph Henri François Van Lerius (23 December 1823, Boom, Antwerp – 29 February 1876, Mechelen) was a Belgian painter in the Romantic-Historical style. Life Van Lerius was born in Boom, Antwerp, on 23 November 1823. In 1838, he was alrea ...

Lawrence Alma-Tadema Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema ( ; born Lourens Alma Tadema, ; 8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom, becoming the last officially recognised Denization, denizen in 1873. Born in ...

, William Duffield,

Emil Hünten Emil Johannes Hünten (19 January 1827 – 1 February 1902) was a German military painter. His works were often lithographed. Biography Born in Paris on 19 January 1827, the son of the composer, Franz Hünten, he studied art under Hippolyte ...

, the Czech

history painter History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek mythology, Greek and Roman my ...

Karel Javůrek, Jaroslav Čermák,

Ludwig von Hagn Ludwig von Hagn (or Louis von Hagn; 23 November 1819 – 15 January 1898) was a German Genre art, genre painter. Biography He was born in Munich, the son of a businessman Karl von Hagn and his wife Josepha Schwab. His older sister, Charlotte ...

Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans Josephus Laurentius Dyckmans or Jozef Laurent Dyckmans (Lier, Belgium, Lier, 9 August 1811 – Antwerp, 8 January 1888) was a Belgian painter mainly of genre scenes and portraits whose painstakingly detailed pictures earned him the nickname 'The B ...

Eugene van Maldeghem Eugene van Maldeghem, also known as Romaan Eugeen Van Maldeghem, (24 April 1813, Dentergem – 1867, Elsene) was a Flemish painter of history, landscape, and portraits. He was a pupil of G. Wappers. The Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent contains his ...

Ferdinand Pauwels Wilhelm Ferdinand Pauwels ( �pʌu̯əls 13 April 1830, Ekeren – 26 March 1904, Dresden) was a Belgian history painter who lived and worked in Germany. Life From 1842 to 1850, he studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp), under ...

and Jacob Jacobs. His works are numerous. Some of them depict traditional devotional subjects ("Christ Entombed"), while others illustrate the Romantic view of history: "Charles I taking leave of his Children", "Charles IX", "Camoens", "Peter the Great at Saardam", and "Boccaccio at the Court of Joanna of Naples".

Louis Philippe Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

gave him a commission to paint a large painting for the gallery at Versailles, "The Defence of Rhodes by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem". He finished the work in 1844, the same year that he received the title of baron from Belgian king Leopold I. After retiring as director of the Antwerp Academy, he settled in 1853 in Paris, where he died in 1873.

Honours

* Titular painter of the King.Almanach royal de Belgique: Classé Et Mis En Ordre Par H. Tarlier * : Member of the

Saxe-Ernestine House Order The Saxe-Ernestine House Order ()Hausorden
Herzogliche Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha was a ...

. * : Knight of the

Military Order of Christ The Military Order of Christ is a Honorific orders of Portugal, Portuguese honorific order. It is the former order of Knights Templar as it was reconstituted in Portugal. Before 1910, it was known as the Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Chr ...

. * : commander of the

order of Leopold (Belgium) The Order of Leopold (, , ) is one of the three current Belgian national honorary orders of knighthood. It is the oldest and highest order of Belgium and is named in honour of its founder, King Leopold I. It consists of a military, a ma ...

. * : officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

Gallery

File:Anthonie van Dijck verliefd op zijn model Rijksmuseum SK-A-1159.jpeg,

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

wooing his Model, 1827 File:Gustaaf Wappers Boccaccio.jpg,

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so ...

reads

The Decameron ''The Decameron'' (; or ''Decamerone'' ), subtitled ''Prince Galehaut'' (Old ) and sometimes nicknamed ''l'Umana commedia'' ("the Human Comedy (drama), comedy", as it was Boccaccio that dubbed Dante Alighieri's ''Divine Comedy, Comedy'' "''D ...

to Joanna of Naples, 1868 File:Portret van Marie-Louise, Koningin der Belgen.jpg, Marie-Louise, Queen of the Belgians, 1855 File:Jonge kunstenares in mijmering, Gustave Wappers, 1857, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 1187.jpg, Young artist in reverie, 1857 File:Gustaf Wappers Le Camoens.jpg, Luís de Camões and his guide, 1855 File:Gustave Wappers - The Shulammite.jpg, The Shulammite, 1870

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wappers 1803 births 1874 deaths Belgian romantic painters Belgian barons Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) alumni Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium Academic staff of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) 19th-century Belgian painters Belgian male painters 19th-century Belgian male artists Romantic painters Painters from Antwerp

Biography

Honours

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links