Théodore Verstraete

Theodoor Verstraete (5 January 1850 – 8 January 1907), also spelled Theodor Verstraete and Théodore Verstraete, was a Belgian Realist painter and printmaker who is known for his landscapes depicting life in the countryside as well as his paintings of the Belgian coastal landscape. He has been called the 'poet of rural life' who depicted the humble life of the people in the countryside with empathy.

Life Verstraete was born in Ghent, Belgium, on 5 January 1850. His father and mother moved to Antwerp in 1852. His father was the second conductor of the 'Nationaal Toneel" (National Theatre) in Antwerp while his mother, Julie Verstraete-Lacquet, was a popular actress. The family later moved to Brussels. Verstraete initially showed an inclination for music and accompanied his parents on their theatre tours including a trip in 1860 to the Netherlands. He was also keen on drawing. In 1867 he commenced his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp. At the time he was living in Brussels. Verstraete was in 1883 a co-founder of the Antwerp group of artists called 'Wees U Zelf' ('Be yourself'). The manifest of the group drafted by Piet Verhaert argued for maintaining the tradition. Other members included Frans Van Kuyck, Eugène Joors, Edgard Farasyn and Emile Claus. Verstraete was in 1891 a co-founder in Antwerp of the artist association 'De XIII', which aimed to liberate art of the reigning academism. It planned to organize annual exhibitions (salons) in Antwerp as well as group exhibitions. During its existence the association, which was disbanded in 1899, organized three salons.

The financial situation of Verstraete improved after he was introduced in 1886 to art collector and patron Henri Van Cutsem. Van Cutsem encouraged Verstraete to travel to various places in the Netherlands such as Hansweert, Leiden, Utrecht and Schoore in Zeeland, where he etched and painted. Theodoor Verstraete also spent time in Blankenberge on the Belgian coast where Van Cutsem owned a villa and invited his artist friends to visit. Verstraete was fascinated with the mobile spectacle of water and air near the sea. While the relationship with Van Cutsem resulted in a considerable improvement of Verstraete's finances, he was in 1893 struck by a stroke, which possibly led to blindness and inability to speak. This signaled the end of the artistic career of Verstraete.

Work

Theodoor Verstraete painted realist landscapes with figures, village scenes and animal scenes. He initially employed a dull palette but gradually started using brighter tones. Verstraete worked in oils as well as in watercolors and also produced many etchings. His work was influenced by the realism of Jean-François Millet as well as other members of the French Barbizon school. These melancholic early works, such as After the funeral (1876–1880, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium), express in their gloomy atmosphere the poverty of the peasants and their submissiveness to the land.