International studio (17.1902)

Henri Cassiers

“zomerdag” by h. cassiers

(Published by MM. Dietrich et Cie., Brussels)

shifting, always changing; the wide horizons, the
quivering, vibrating undulations of colour ; the
picturesque houses and cottages in town and
village, with their quaintly decorated fronts, their
fascinating interiors, full of
old-world furniture ; and the
peasants in their costumes
of a time gone by.

M. Cassiers’ style would
now seem to be definitively
and finally formed. He is
everywhere recognised as a
clever artist whose work is
full of spirituality, and he
has, so to speak, got into a
habit of pleasing us all. He
is unrivalled for fascination,
distinction, and skill in
catching effect; his Brabant
landscapes, his sketches' ot
Flemish or Dutch villages,
have all alike a unique, an
indefinable charm ; they have
been characterised as “a
caress and a delight to the
eyes.”

It was during a sojourn in
Holland that he met the
English artist, C. W. Bartlett,
with whom he became inti-
mate, and who exercised a
considerable influence on his
work. The example of the
talented English painter acted
as a stimulant upon the
Belgian master, and led
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to the evolution, or, rather, the recognition,
of new qualities in the latter, for hence-
forth the work of Cassiers displayed a
solidity of tone, an independence of execu-
tion, a profundity of sentiment, and what
may perhaps be called an obstinate con-
scientiousness hitherto foreign to it.

The exhibition of the work of the
Belgian artist in the Salle du Cercle
J Artistique at Brussels, which took place
after this fortunate meeting with Mr.
Bartlett, was a revelation alike to the
public and the critics, and voice was given
to the surprise felt by all who saw the new
pictures—in an able article which appeared
in the well-known Belgian journal Le Petit
Bleu: “ A well-known painter in water-
colour, who has already taken high rank in
the art world, and seemed to have reached the full
development of his own particular style, is holding
an exhibition at the Cercle Artistique. The visitor
who expects to meet with a new and original

‘THE CHURCH AT VEERE

FROM A DRAWING BY H. CASSIERS

I