Charles de Groux (Degroux) (1825 - 1870)
Charles de Groux (Degroux)
Charles Corneille Auguste de Groux or Charles Degroux was a French painter, engraver, lithographer and illustrator. As he moved to Belgium at a young age and his whole career took place in Belgium he is usually referred to as a Belgian artist. His depictions of scenes from the life of the disadvantaged and lower-class people of his time mark him as the first Belgian social realist painter. These works made him the precursor of Belgian Realist artists such as Constantin Meunier and Eugène Laermans. De Groux worked in different media, including oil painting, watercolor, pastel, engraving and lithography. He started out as a painter of history and religious scenes in the Romantic style then prevalent in Belgium. He later developed his own realist style which shows the influence of Courbet as well as genre painters of the 17th century. De Groux' social realist works contain many religious overtones and references.
| Date and place of birt: | 25 august 1825, Comines, France |
|---|---|
| Date and place of death: | 30 march 1870, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Belgium |
| Nationality: | Belgium, France |
| Period of activity: | XIX century |
| Specialization: | Artist, Engraver, Genre painter, Graphic artist, Historian, Illustrator, Painter |
| Genre: | Genre art, History painting, Religious genre |
| Art style: | Realism, Romanticism, Socialist realism |
| Technique: | Engraving, Hand graphic, Lithography, Oil, Pastel, Watercolor |
