DOI Heft:
No. 174 (September, 1907)
DOI Artikel:Khnopff, Fernand: Alexandre Struys, a Belgian painter
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20775#0325
Alexandre Struys
been persuaded by the Jesuits to make
over his property to them. The artist
saw the possibilities of such a subject,
and painted his Roofvdgels (Birds of
Prey), two Jesuits forcing a dying man!
to make his will. The effect made by
this picture was enhanced by the fact
that political strife between Liberals
and Clericals was then running very
high in Belgium. The work in itself
was remarkable, and was exhibited
everywhere—in Germany and in Eng-
land ; but for political reasons it could
not be admitted to the Paris Exhibition
of 1878, the Belgian committee of
selection refusing it even in Brussels,
" because" (wrote Prince Caraman-
Chimay, president of the committee, to
the artist) " the subject was calculated
to offend the susceptibilities of the
general public."
The picture's success was immense,
and gained for its author not only
European renown, but also an unex-
pected piece of good fortune. The
Director of the Academy at Weimar
"le mois de marie" ky a. struys offered the young Belgian painter of
Struys now went to
live with the painter
H. Bource, whom he had ■ ' ~~ S I t ' V
known for a long time. MB^RPRP MJSk-.- b tfftt
The mournful sentimen- fc||V"> gmvA- nwicW'l—j WfSBm- ml^St
tality of this artist con- ^*~ ■n^I BBOTWfr^WiB'
sorted better with Struys's XiL mmnm M&t- r "*1*SF ■■
native melancholy than KPSlil^ JHUA V |
had the fantastic extra- EP" " i^hk '^^^WjWTtl'MlltHiaMMU HHUpMP'v
vagance of his former W1 WMk
companion. M ^^H^mBF^^Kjr , H Mlf^B^^
Me next painted a pic- m- Jg| IJRtl ▼^-"^H EmB^-
ture, old-fashioned and IHlifife^^^l fl
romantic in character, en- "• ^Jfjl
titled The Two Victims W^KtlBI^^KtBUtKsL^A Mlwfl
{now in the Dordrecht
Museum), representing a
deserted mother wi n her
child fleeing from misery. ML 11
His next work, An Eater
of Mussels, a broadly-
executed painting, showed
considerable progress.
Struys's real celebrity ......— ..qugflBH^HH
•dates from 1876. An
uncle of the painter had "la visite au malade" by a. struys
287
been persuaded by the Jesuits to make
over his property to them. The artist
saw the possibilities of such a subject,
and painted his Roofvdgels (Birds of
Prey), two Jesuits forcing a dying man!
to make his will. The effect made by
this picture was enhanced by the fact
that political strife between Liberals
and Clericals was then running very
high in Belgium. The work in itself
was remarkable, and was exhibited
everywhere—in Germany and in Eng-
land ; but for political reasons it could
not be admitted to the Paris Exhibition
of 1878, the Belgian committee of
selection refusing it even in Brussels,
" because" (wrote Prince Caraman-
Chimay, president of the committee, to
the artist) " the subject was calculated
to offend the susceptibilities of the
general public."
The picture's success was immense,
and gained for its author not only
European renown, but also an unex-
pected piece of good fortune. The
Director of the Academy at Weimar
"le mois de marie" ky a. struys offered the young Belgian painter of
Struys now went to
live with the painter
H. Bource, whom he had ■ ' ~~ S I t ' V
known for a long time. MB^RPRP MJSk-.- b tfftt
The mournful sentimen- fc||V"> gmvA- nwicW'l—j WfSBm- ml^St
tality of this artist con- ^*~ ■n^I BBOTWfr^WiB'
sorted better with Struys's XiL mmnm M&t- r "*1*SF ■■
native melancholy than KPSlil^ JHUA V |
had the fantastic extra- EP" " i^hk '^^^WjWTtl'MlltHiaMMU HHUpMP'v
vagance of his former W1 WMk
companion. M ^^H^mBF^^Kjr , H Mlf^B^^
Me next painted a pic- m- Jg| IJRtl ▼^-"^H EmB^-
ture, old-fashioned and IHlifife^^^l fl
romantic in character, en- "• ^Jfjl
titled The Two Victims W^KtlBI^^KtBUtKsL^A Mlwfl
{now in the Dordrecht
Museum), representing a
deserted mother wi n her
child fleeing from misery. ML 11
His next work, An Eater
of Mussels, a broadly-
executed painting, showed
considerable progress.
Struys's real celebrity ......— ..qugflBH^HH
•dates from 1876. An
uncle of the painter had "la visite au malade" by a. struys
287