Flemish Expressionism, also referred to as Belgian Expressionism, was one of the dominant art styles in Flanders during the

interbellum In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

. Influenced by artists like James Ensor and the early works of

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artworks ...

, it was a distinct contemporary of

German Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radi ...

. Contrary to the more rebellious and erotic nature of many German Expressionist works, the Flemish art of the School of Latem was more oriented towards the farming life, and was expressed in earthy colours and vigorous brushwork. It was also in general more oriented towards France and Brussels than to Germany, and incorporated elements of Fauvism and Cubism, for example the interest in "primitive" art, of both the ethnic and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

traditions. Flemish Expressionists like Spilliaert were more influenced by Ensor and Symbolism, or like Wouters were closer to the vibrant colours used by the

Fauvists Fauvism ( ) is a style of painting and an art movement that emerged in France at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the style of (, ''the wild beasts''), a group of modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong col ...

. The main proponents were Gust De Smet,

Constant Permeke Constant Permeke (; 31 July 1886 – 4 January 1952) was a Belgian painter and sculptor who is considered the leading figure of Flemish Expressionism. Biography Permeke was born in Antwerp but when he was six years old the family moved to Ost ...

and

Frits Van den Berghe Frits Van den Berghe (3 April 1883 – 23 September 1939) was a Belgian Expressionism, expressionist and Surrealism, surrealist Painting, painter and illustrator. Biography He was born in Ghent, where his father was the Librarian at the Univers ...

Development

The movement originated with the painter Albert Servaes, an artist associated with the first artist colony at Sint-Martens-Latem, als referred to as the first Latem School. From 1905 Servaes' art gradually moved away from the

impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

and luminism of the previous generation of Flemish artists towards a darker palette and a mystical tension.Hector Waterschoot, ''Het Vlaams expressionisme in Europese context''
Ons Erfdeel. Jaargang 33(1990), pp. 438-439 From 1911 on, his influence became visible in the work of

, who is usually considered the foremost master of the movement. It was centred around an

art colony Art colonies are organic congregations of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, who are often drawn to areas of natural beauty, the prior existence of other artists, art schools there, or a lower cost of living. They are typically mission ...

Sint-Martens-Latem Sint-Martens-Latem () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders, in Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Deurle and Sint-Martens-Latem proper. In 2021, Sint-Martens-Latem had a total population of 8,285. The ...

, an idyllic village on the banks of the river Lys in East Flanders, near

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

. Permeke had studied art in Ghent, together with Gustave de Smet and Frits Van den Berghe. Before the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, emerging Belgian Expressionists such as

, Gustave De Smet and Constant Permeke were inspired by

Fauvism Fauvism ( ) is a style of painting and an art movement that emerged in France at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the style of (, ''the wild beasts''), a group of modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong col ...

and to some extent by

Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...

, emulating the bright Impressionist approach of

Émile Claus Emile Claus (27 September 1849 – 14 June 1924) was a Belgian painter. Life Emile Claus was born on 27 September 1849, in Sint-Eloois-Vijve, a village in West Flanders (Belgium), at the banks of the river Lys (river), Lys. Emile was the twe ...

and

Théo van Rysselberghe Théophile "Théo" van Rysselberghe (23 November 1862 – 13 December 1926) was a Belgian Neo-impressionism, neo-impressionist Painting, painter, who played a pivotal role in the European art scene at the turn of the twentieth century. Bi ...

Rik Wouters Hendrik Emil (Rik) Wouters (21 August 1882 – 11 July 1916) was a Belgian painter, sculptor and draughtsman. Wouters produced 200 paintings, drawings and sculptures in his 34 years before his illness-caused death. He died partway through th ...

in particular was attracted by the Fauvists but he died in 1916 after suffering from a serious illness. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, most painters from Sint-Martens-Latem fled Belgium: Gustaaf Van de Woestijne, Léon de Smet and others lived in London, where they continued working in a late Impressionistic style. Permeke also lived in England but already painted in a monumental, dark expressionism. Gustave De Smet and Frits Van den Berghe lived in the Netherlands, where in about 1916 they changed their style from a melancholy Impressionism to the new Expressionism, influenced by Dutch painters like

Jan Sluyters Johannes Carolus Bernardus (Jan) Sluijters, or Sluyters (17 December 1881 in 's-Hertogenbosch – 8 May 1957 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch painter and co-founder of the Moderne Kunstkring. Sluijters (in English often spelled "Sluyters") was a leadin ...

, the German

Heinrich Campendonk Heinrich Mathias Ernst Campendonk (3 November 1889 – 9 May 1957) was a painter and graphic designer born in Germany who became a naturalized Dutch citizen. Life Campendonk was born in Krefeld, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire. He was the son ...

, and the French cubist

Henri Le Fauconnier Henri Victor Gabriel Le Fauconnier (; July 5, 1881 – December 25, 1946) was a French Cubist painter born in Hesdin. Le Fauconnier was seen as one of the leading figures among the Montparnasse Cubists. At the 1911 Salon des Indépendants Le ...

who also lived in the Netherlands during the war. This version of Flemish Expressionism, influenced by constructivism, futurism and cubism, continued after the war in the short-lived art colony in

Blaricum Blaricum () is a municipality and village in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. It is part of the region of Gooiland and part of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (Metropoolregio Amsterdam). It is known for ...

, where van den Berghe and De Smet joined Jozef Cantré. After the war, most artists went to live in and around Sint-Martens-Latem, establishing what has been called the second school of Latem. In the 1920s, while Permeke, De Smet and Van den Berghe painted in

, at the European level it was

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

which became closely associated with the evolving Flemish Expressionist scene. By 1930, Van den Berghe had been attracted by

Surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

while

Realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

had influenced the work of De Smet. On the other hand,

Edgard Tytgat Edgard Tytgat (28 April 1879 in Brussels – 11 January 1957 in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert Woluwe-Saint-Lambert ( French, ) or Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe ( Dutch, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. In common wi ...

developed his Expressionist style rather later than the others. Concentrating on story telling, he presented a somewhat satirical view of mankind, especially in his paintings of men and women. Flemish Expressionism has been called "Belgium's most important contribution to modern art".

Artists

James Ensor James Sidney Edouard, Baron Ensor (13 April 1860 – 19 November 1949) was a Belgian painter and printmaker, an important influence on expressionism and surrealism who lived in Ostend for most of his life. He was associated with the artistic ...

(1860-1949) (more a precursor and influence than a real member of the movement) * Hippolyte Daeye (1873-1952) *

Gustave De Smet Gustave Franciscus De Smet (21 January 1877 – 8 October 1943) was a Belgian painter. Together with Constant Permeke and Frits Van den Berghe, he was one of the founders of Flemish Expressionism. His younger brother, , also became a painter. ...

(1877-1943) *

(1879-1957) * Prosper de Troyer (1880-1961) *

Léon Spilliaert Léon Spilliaert (also Leon Spilliaert; 28 July 1881 – 23 November 1946) was a Belgian draughtsman, illustrator, lithographer and painter. In his early career, he contributed to the development of symbolism in the visual arts in Belgium ...

(1881-1946), mixed

Symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

and Expressionism in his art *

Gustave Van de Woestijne Gustave Van de Woestijne (; 2 August 1881 – 21 April 1947) was a Belgian expressionist painter. He belonged to the so-called "First Group of Latem", a group of artists who worked in the rural village of Sint-Martens-Latem on the banks of ...

(1881-1947) *

Léon De Smet Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...

(1881-1966) *

(1882-1916) *

(1883-1939) * Albert Servaes (1883-1966) * Jean Brusselmans (1884-1953) *

(1886-1952) * Albert Saverys (1886-1964) *

Oscar Jespers Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer J ...

(1887-1970) *

Ramah Ramah may refer to: In ancient Israel * Ramathaim-Zophim, the birthplace of Samuel * Ramoth-Gilead, a Levite city of refuge * Ramah in Benjamin, mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah and also in the Gospel of Matthew * Baalath-Beer, also known as Ramot ...

(1887-1947) *

Floris Jespers Floris Jespers (18 March 1889 in Borgerhout – 16 April 1965 in Antwerp) was a Belgian Avant-garde painter. After his graduation from the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts, he hooked up with the poet Paul Van Ostaijen and joined the Antwerp avant- ...

(1889-1965) *

Frans Masereel Frans Masereel (31 July 1889 – 3 January 1972) was a Belgium, Belgian painter and graphic artist who worked mainly in France. He is known especially for his woodcuts which focused on political and social issues, such as war and capitalism. He ...

(1889-1972) * Jozef Cantré (1890-1957)

Gallery

File:Gustave Van de Woestyne - Fugue.jpg,

, ''Fuga'', 1925, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent File:Landschap met rode dak, Léon Spilliaert, Mu.ZEE Oostende, SM002158.jpg, Léon Spilliaert, ''Landscape with red roof'', 1926, Mu.ZEE in Ostend File:Rik Wouters - Zittende vrouw bij het venster.JPG,

, ''Woman sitting at the window'', 1915, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent File:Van Den Berghe - Sitting Pink Nude.jpg, Frits Van den Berghe, ''Sitting Pink Nude'', 1928, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent File:Ramah (1887-1947) De schilder (1922) MSK Gent 22-10-2017 11-33-11.JPG, Ramah, ''The Painter'', 1922, Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent

Notes

{{reflist Expressionism Belgian art movements Flemish art