Eugène Siberdt, Eugeen Siberdt or Eugène François Joseph Siberdt (

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, 21 April 1851 – Antwerp, 6 January 1931) was a Belgian Academic, late-

Romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

painter who created portraits, history paintings, genre scenes and Orientalist paintings.Eugène Siberdt
at the Netherlands Institute for Art History He is now mainly known as the professor of drawing at the Antwerp Academy whose conflict with Vincent van Gogh led to van Gogh leaving the Antwerp Academy after only three months of attendance.Steven Naifeh, Gregory White Smith, ''Van Gogh: The Life'', Random House Publishing Group, 18 Oct 2011, p. 448-489

Life

Eugène Siberdt was born in Antwerp where he trained at the Antwerp Academy under Edward Du Jardin,

Polydore Beaufaux Polydore Beaufaux (30 November 1829 – 7 May 1905) was a Belgian painter. He favored Biblical scenes, portraits and Genre art, genre pieces.Van Lerius and

Nicaise de Keyser Nicaise de Keyser (alternative first names: Nicaas, Nikaas of Nicasius; 26 August 1813, Zandvliet – 17 July 1887, Antwerp) was a Belgian painter of mainly history paintings and portraits who was one of the key figures in the Belgian Romantic- ...

. He was awarded the Prix de Rome (Second Place) in 1873. From 1874, Siberdt commenced exhibiting at all the important Belgian salons with success. He was a successful portrait painter and became the Official Royal Portraitist. Siberdt was appointed a professor at the Antwerp Academy in 1883. Eugene Siberdt, ''Farewell Dear France''
at the Knohl Collection Vincent van Gogh started to attend drawing classes after plaster models at the Antwerp Academy on 18 January 1886. Here van Gogh quickly got into trouble with

Charles Verlat Charles Verlat or Karel Verlat (25 November 182423 October 1890) was a Belgium, Belgian painter, watercolorist, engraver (printmaker), Visual arts education, art educator and director of the Antwerp Academy. He painted many subjects and was par ...

, the director of the Academy and teacher of a painting class, because of his unconventional painting style. Van Gogh had also clashed with the instructor of the drawing class

Franz Vinck Franz Vinck or Frans Vinck (14 September 1827 – 17 October 1903) was a Belgian painter known for his history paintings, genre and Orientalist scenes and portraits. He led a peripatetic life style and travelled and worked in many countries.

. Van Gogh finally started to attend the drawing classes after antique plaster models given by Siberdt. Soon Siberdt and van Gogh came into conflict when the latter did not comply with Siberdt's requirement that drawings express the contour and concentrate on the line. When van Gogh was required to draw the '' Venus de Milo'' during a drawing class, he produced the limbless, naked torso of a Flemish peasant woman. Siberdt regarded this as defiance against his artistic guidance and made corrections to van Gogh’s drawing with his crayon so vigorously that he tore the paper. Van Gogh then flew into a violent rage and shouted at Siberdt: 'You clearly do not know what a young woman is like, ''God damn it!'' A woman must have hips, buttocks, a pelvis in which she can carry a baby!' According to some accounts this was the last time van Gogh attended classes at the Academy and he left later for Paris. On 31 March 1886, which was about a month after the confrontation with Siberdt, the teachers of the Academy decided that 17 students, including van Gogh, had to repeat a year. The story that van Gogh was expelled from the Academy by Siberdt is therefore unfounded.Jan Lampo, ''In het Spoor van de Academie – persbericht''
Eugene Siberdt - Erasmus and Quentin Matsys

Eugene Siberdt - Erasmus and Quentin Matsys

About ten years after the incident with van Gogh, Siberdt was involved in a conflict with

Eugeen Van Mieghem Eugeen Van Mieghem (; October 1, 1875 – March 24, 1930) was an artist born in the port city of Antwerp, Belgium. As a boy Van Mieghem was confronted with the harsh reality of life at the waterfront. Even at primary school he showed a talent ...

, another student who did not wish to submit to the academic rigour of the Antwerp Academy. This also led to Van Mieghen leaving the Academy.

Work

Eugène Siberdt was a typical representative of the late-Romantic style as developed in Belgium by pupils and teachers of the Antwerp Academy. In particular, the influence of

Henri Leys Henri Leys, Hendrik Leys or Jan August Hendrik, Baron Leys (18 February 1815 – 26 August 1869) was a Belgian painter and printmaker. He was a leading representative of the historical or Romantic school in Belgian art and became a pioneer of th ...

remained paramount at the Academy throughout the second half of the 19th century in style as well as subject matter.'Contradicties: 350 jaar Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen : 1663-2013'; 2013 The teachers at the Academy encouraged their students to study the antique, draw precisely and stick to the sober and somber palette typical of 19th century academic painting. The conflict between Siberdt and van Gogh is best seen as a conflict between van Gogh's unconventional view of art and the academic view represented by Siberdt. Eugene Siberdt - The little gamblers

As a typical representative of the academic tradition of the Antwerp academy, Siberdt painted subjects such as genre scenes often of a sentimental nature such as '' The sad omen'', stories from the glorious national artistic history such as '' The meeting between Erasmus and Quentin Matsys'' or international historic events such as '' Martin Luther translating the bible''. The historic scenes were typically set in the 16th and 17th century, de period during which Antwerp enjoyed its cultural and commercial heyday. Stories from Goethe's ''Faust'' were also a recurring theme. Siberdt further created history paintings with biblical subjects such as '' The Prophet Nathan rebukes King David''. Siberdt painted many Orientalist compositions. These often depict

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

women or harems such as '' The jewels of a Harem''. The latter painting also reflected the contemporary interest in the theme of the harem and the '' odalisque'' in Orientalism.Lynne Thornton, ''Women as Portrayed in Orientalist Painting'', www.acr-edition.com, 1994, p. 16 Siberdt was a capable portrait painter who was sought after by private and official patrons.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siberdt, Eugene Belgian genre painters Belgian portrait painters Academic art Orientalist painters 19th-century Belgian painters Belgian male painters 19th-century Belgian male artists 20th-century Belgian painters 1851 births 1931 deaths 20th-century Belgian male artists