Alfred Jacques Verwee (1838 - 1895)
Alfred Jacques Verwee
Alfred Jacques Verwee was a Belgian painter known for his depictions of animals, landscapes and seascapes. His first exhibition was in 1857, but he didn't achieve true recognition until 1863, when he had a show at the Brussels Salon, where he was awarded a gold medal. He became a founding member of the "Société Libre des Beaux-Arts", a group that was opposed to academicism in art. During this time, he began painting plein air to achieve a naturalistic style. From 1875 to 1880, he attempted to create a grand vision of the Flemish countryside. In 1876, he helped establish "La Chrysalide", a short-lived association that is considered a forerunner to "Les XX". Around 1880, he became fascinated with the area surrounding Knokke, and an informal artists' colony slowly took root there. At the time, he began alternating between landscape and animal painting, doing the landscapes plein air and posing the animals in his studio. He is generally considered to be Belgium's first great animal painter.
| Date and place of birt: | 23 april 1838, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Belgium |
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| Date and place of death: | 14 september 1895, Schaerbeek, Belgium |
| Nationality: | Belgium |
| Period of activity: | XIX century |
| Specialization: | Animalist, Artist, Engraver, Landscape painter, Marine painter, Painter |
| Art school / group: | La Chrysalide, Société Libre des Beaux-Arts |
| Genre: | Animalistic, Landscape painting, Marine art, Rural landscape |
| Art style: | Realism |
| Technique: | Engraving, Oil, Oil on canvas, Oil on panel |
