Painting in Belgium: a full palette of colors!
Belgium is a land of painters. Famous artists (Bruegel, Van Eyck, Rubens, Memling, James Ensor, Magritte…) are Belgian. Here are 3 different cities to illustrate 3 painting styles.
BRUGES AND THE FLEMISH PRIMITIVES
The technique of the oil painting was invented in Bruges, the romantic Belgian town built on the water, where many artists lived in the heart of the wealthiest 15th century communauty.
Bruges is associated to the Flemish Primitives (such as Van Eyck) which refer to the painting school and the painting style of the Southern Netherlands (now Belgium) in the 15th century. The name only started to be used in the 19th century. The name ‘Flemish’ (adjective for Flanders, the area running from Northern France to the Southern Netherlands) is used to cover the entire group of 15th century painters living in Bruges and its surrounding area. The word Primitive only mean they were the first to use new painting techniques, which were far from being primitive!
- In Bruge, visit the Groeninge Museum, with its collection of paintings from the 14th to the 20 th century (mainly by artists who lived in the Bruges area ) : Van Eyck, Memling, Pieter Bruegel…
Horse carriage in Bruges by Sonja Hamilton Medieval houses by canals in Bruges
© Photo Credit: Painting by Sonja Hamilton SWA
OSTENDE AND MODERN PRECURSOR JAMES ENSOR
Ostende was the Queen of the Belgian seashore resorts in the second half of the 19th century. King Leopold II transformed the little fisherman port into a prestigious aristocratic town – eclectic and cosmopolitan.
Marine painters found there a perfect subject for their plein air vignettes.
However, Ostende is mainly associated to James Ensor, the impressionist painter who dared to use avant-garde expressionist effects in his work, which resulted in the fact that he was never well-accepted during his lifetime. He also enjoyed depicting his contemporaries in a very critical way (grotesque masks, snares …) which alienated him from the general public. He is now seen as a major precursor of modern painting and his work is displayed in major museums (Getty museum of California for instance).
- In Ostende, visit the James Ensor House; it does not contain any of his work but it shows the bizarre environment in which Ensor lived and worked for the last 32 years of his life. The place is crammed with objects he used as models in his colorful paintings.
BRUSSELS AND SURREALIST MAGRITTE
Brussels is an art laboratory. While walking around the city, you are constantly facing architectural splendors (sometimes horrors, I have to admit): Art Nouveau buildings, medieval shops, gothic facades , next to the ugliest 20th century condominums or the impressive glass building of the European Parliament. The king Palace is neo-classic but the nearby cafés and restaurants boast the most high-tech deco ! To put it in a nutshell, Belgian are daring and crazy when it comes to architecture.
As for painting, you do not need to enter a museum to admire beautiful murals: the city is the capital of comic strips, and you will meet many comic heroes on the walls of Brussels
But if you are not keen on Comics, and do not wish to visit the Comic Strip center, Brussels has many art museums, and the New Magritte museum is to open on June 2, 2009; you can also visit the old Rene Magritte museum (his house in Brussels) which is a different museum.
For more Magritte information, read our previous article dated January 5, 2009.
Painting tours and cultural tours are offered in these three cities with French Escapade.
Links (click on title):
- Painting tours and cultural tours in Belgium
- Artists giving painting workshops in Belgium: Sonja Hamilton, Sandy Delehanty.
- More information about the Flemish Primitives
- Facebook Magritte Fan Page
Videos (click on title):
- Van Eyck, slide show
- Theo Van Rysselberghe, Belgian pointillist painter (slide show)
- Leon Spilliaert, “Silences”, movie about Spilliaert’s paintings in Ostende (movie)
- René Magritte, slide show
- The dreamer, a tribute to René Magritte, animated film.
My name is Jackie Grandchamps. In 2003, I founded French Escapade, offering another way to travel in small groups of 8. "Don't be a tourist, be our guest" is the moto and spirit of my company.
Check www.frenchescapade.com
Through this blog, I will provide information about France, Belgium, California, (soon Italy) but also some stories from my guests on the tours.
Learn more about the company in the French Escapade section of this blog.
February 27th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
OK, I finally found the place to leave a comment on your blog, duh! must be blind…..
Anyway, you never cease to amaize me how you find so many interesting things about a place. You are more than a tour guide, you are a detective!
Tthe last time I was in Brussels it was 1969, my friend Christine and I were ending our backpack wanderings in Europe as it was time to go home and attend my brother’s wedding and get real jobs in the USA.
We hitched a ride out of someplace in Germany in the pouring rain and two Belgium tile salesman picked us up. They told us the were orphaned in world war II and were small boys living off scraps when their city was liberated by the Americans. (Not sure which Belgium city they were in at the time) but they credited some GIs who took them to a place where they were cared for by nuns for saving them from starving. Ever since then they said they look for ways to return the favor to Americans.
They drove us to Brussells treated us to a fabulous steak dinner “because we know Americans like beef steak” and took us to the YWCA were we planned to stay a couple of days until our charter flight left for the USA.
When we arrived at the Y they carried in our backpacks and told us to go upstairs and check to make sure our room was OK. We did as they suggested and when we returned to get our backpacks the lady at the desk told us our room was paid for and there was an envelope for us. In the envelope was some cash for “eating and touring Brussels” and it was signed, “thank you America”.
That is one of my favorite memories of people I have met in my travels, and I look forward to visiting Brussells again on my painting trip with you in September.
Sandy Delehanty
March 1st, 2009 at 11:52 am
That is a very touching story and an incredible experience for you. Thank you for sharing it.
I am looking forward to have you as a art teacher on the painting trip for the third year. You are an amazing teacher. For our readers, please check Sandy’s web site at http://www.sandydelehanty.com/
jackie
April 20th, 2010 at 4:18 am
Really like this post, thanks for writing.
October 14th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
OK, I finally found the place to leave a comment on your blog, duh! must be blind…..
Anyway, you never cease to amaize me how you find so many interesting things about a place. You are more than a tour guide, you are a detective!
Tthe last time I was in Brussels it was 1969, my friend Christine and I were ending our backpack wanderings in Europe as it was time to go home and attend my brother’s wedding and get real jobs in the USA.
We hitched a ride out of someplace in Germany in the pouring rain and two Belgium tile salesman picked us up. They told us the were orphaned in world war II and were small boys living off scraps when their city was liberated by the Americans. (Not sure which Belgium city they were in at the time) but they credited some GIs who took them to a place where they were cared for by nuns for saving them from starving. Ever since then they said they look for ways to return the favor to Americans.
They drove us to Brussells treated us to a fabulous steak dinner “because we know Americans like beef steak” and took us to the YWCA were we planned to stay a couple of days until our charter flight left for the USA.
When we arrived at the Y they carried in our backpacks and told us to go upstairs and check to make sure our room was OK. We did as they suggested and when we returned to get our backpacks the lady at the desk told us our room was paid for and there was an envelope for us. In the envelope was some cash for “eating and touring Brussels” and it was signed, “thank you America”.
That is one of my favorite memories of people I have met in my travels, and I look forward to visiting Brussells again on my painting trip with you in September.
Sandy Delehanty
August 16th, 2011 at 6:00 pm
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Brussels and it’s truly beautiful!
December 30th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Valuable information ..I am delighted to read this article..thank you for giving us this useful information. Great walk-through. I value this post.