Theophile Marie Francois Lybaert

Théophile Marie Francois Lybaert or Theofiel Lybaert (14 June 1848 – 28 May 1927) was a Belgian painter and sculptor. He commenced his career as a painter of genre and Orientalist scenes. He later painted subjects from the national and international history, military life and the bible. He was mainly known for his religious paintings executed in an archaic, Gothic style that reprised the 16th century models of Northern-European masters such as Hans Memling and Albrecht Dürer. These works earned him the appelation of 'modern Gothic' or 'contemporary Memling'. In a final period starting from the 1910s he developed towards an eclectic style incorporating Symbolism. His father was an alumnus of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Ghent) and was a heraldic and decorative painter. His father also compiled a notebook with anecdotes about 19th-century painters from Ghent that was only published in 1998. From a young age Théophile received initial artistic training at the atelier of the brothers Paul and the Félix De Vigne, respectively a sculptor and painter who worked in the so-called 'troubadour' style. He was a brilliant student and won a number of prizes including for real life drawing and anatomy. He exhibited for the first time in 1868 at the triennial salon of Ghent. His reputation spread widely thanks to the many reproductions of his work that were circulated during his lifetime. The conservative, Catholic French writer Charles Buet wrote a booklet entitled Un moderne gothique about the artist lavishly singing his praises.

Lybaert continued to be active as an artist into his old age. He died in Ghent on 28 May 1927.

From the turn of the century onwards, he also depicted important national and international military events which involved the depiction of soldiers. An example of such a work is the Jersey Blues as scouts, American Revolutionary War 1783 (1904), which depicts a scene from the American Revolutionary War. Lybaert was known for spending a substantial amount of research on his historic subjects in order to ensure the accuracy of his paintings.

In a final period starting from the 1910s he developed towards an eclectic style incorporating Symbolism into his compositions still reminiscent of the techniques of the Flemish Primitives and the earlier inspiration he had drawn from old masters such as Hans Memling and Albrecht Dürer. A good example of a work from this latter period is his picture Old Flanders painted in 1915. It depicts an old woman who appears to be praying or meditating. She is a symbol of Flanders. In the background can be seen ravens and flames, a reference to the horrific events affecting the artist's homeland during the First World War, the period in which this composition was painted.

Lybaert had studied with artists who were also sculptors such as Paul de Vigne and Jean-Léon Gérôme. He produced some sculptures with religious subjects. An example is the statue of Germaine Cousin (Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium).