Emile Clause (27 September 1849 - 14 June 1924) was a Belgian painter who developed the distinct style of impressionism known as "Luminism".
Emile Claus was born in Sint-Eloois-Vijve, a village in West-Flanders (Belgium), at the banks of the river Lys.
Emile was the twelfth child in a family of thirteen. Father Alexander was a grocer-publican and for some time town councillor.
Mother Celestine Verbauwhede came from a Brabant skipper’s family and had her hands full with her offspring.
As a child, Emile already loved drawing and on Sunday went three kilometres on foot to the Academy of Waregem (the neighbouring town) to learn how to draw.
He graduated from the Academy with a gold medal.
Although father Claus allowed him to take drawing classes, he did not fancy an artist's career for his son.
Instead, he sent Emile as a baker’s apprentice to Lille (France).
Emile learned French there but the job of a baker clearly did not appeal to him.
He also worked for some time with the Belgian Railways and as a representative in the flax trade.
From 1869-1874, Claus trained at the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts with, amongst others, the landscape painter Jacob Jacobs.
During his training, Claus attracted the attention of and found favour with the local upper middle class.
In 1882 Claus had completed Cock Fight in Flanders, The realistic painting portrays the dignitaries of Waregem, collected around a small arena with two fighting roosters.
One of the dignitaries was the Waregem notary Eduard Dufaux.
At the notary's home, Emile got to know Eduard’s niece Charlotte Dufaux. They got married in 1886.
Artistically and financially, Claus soon prospered.
The Antwerp Museum of Fine Arts purchased one of his works, and The Picknick (1887), his well-known painting showing a farmer’s family watching the Sunday outing of the urban bourgeoisie on the opposite bank of a small river (the Lys), was bought by the Belgian Royal Family.
Under the influence of Claude Monet, he developed a style that has been characterized as luminism.
In 1904, he started the artist group Vie et Lumière ('Life and Light').
In 1918, at his return from London after World War I and with the dawn of expressionism, Claus found his fame diminished.
In 1921, he was given a last survey exhibition in Brussels, where especially his London works (about the city and the river Thames) made a positive impression on the public.
Honours
1919: Commander of the Order of Leopold.
1911: Member of the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium. | © Wikipedia
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