Studio: international art (89.1925)

BRUSSELS

" L ' A D B E." B Y
CHARLES HERMANS

(Musee Royal des
Beaux- \rts, Brussels)

BRUSSELS.—When the Brussels public
heard that Charles Hermans, who was
so famous some forty years ago, was dead,
a strange sense of surprise was experi-
enced, for most people thought he had
already disappeared from the scene ! The
truth is that he had been living in the
south of France, and only a few old
friends had kept in touch with him.
Some years ago he had sold his house at
Brussels, his collections, his pictures, the
contents of his studio, thus taking the
unusual course of settling these matters
during his lifetime, rather than leaving
them to be settled by his heirs. 0 0
All the obituary notices styled him " the
painter of L'Aube" because of the large
and remarkable masterpiece which repre-
sents him in the Brussels Museum, and
which we reproduce above. But it must

not be inferred that Hermans only painted
one notable picture, nor that he expended
all his imagination and interpretative
power in that realistic study of social life.

Charles Hermans was born rich, and
had not to struggle for recognition. Hav-
ing proved his worth by the masterly
work above-mentioned, and having seen
it placed in the Belgian Royal Museum of
Fine Arts, he ceased to trouble about
exhibitions or to compete with others ;
but in his studio were to be seen portraits,
pictures of familiar everyday life, magnifi-
cent nude studies, flower-paintings and
travel sketches. Hermans was notable for
the refined colour-harmonies in his work.
Among his chief compositions are a Circe
and a huge Bal Masque, which was bought
for an American Museum. a 0

P. L.
35i