Modest Huys (25 October 1874 in

Zulte Zulte () is a Belgium, Belgian Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in Flemish Region, Flanders and in the Flanders, Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Machelen (Zulte), Machelen, and Zulte prop ...

– 30 January 1932 in Zulte) was a

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

impressionist and luminist painter, who is regarded as one of the greatest Belgian painters of the 20th century.

Personal life

From a young age, he worked in his father's painting and decorating businessGalerie Oscar De Vos: Biography of Huys
/ref> and later studied at the "Gentse Nijverheidschool" (Ghent Industrial School). In 1891 or 1892, he came into contact with

Emile 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 ...

, who encouraged his artistic inclinations. In 1900, he enrolled at the

Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp () is an art academy located in Antwerp, Belgium. It is one of the oldest of its kind in Europe. It was founded in 1663 by David Teniers the Younger, painter to the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm and Don Juan of ...

, where his teachers were

Eugène Joors Eugène Joors (20 February 1850, Borgerhout - 23 October 1910, Berchem), was a Belgian painter in the realistic style. Life and work He studied from 1865 to 1870 at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp, where his teacher were Polydore ...

and Frans Van Leemputten (1850-1914), but he never completed his studies.Olsene website: Biography with photograph
/ref> It was about this time that he became lifelong friends with the author

Stijn Streuvels Franciscus "Frank" Petrus Maria Lateur (3 October 1871 – 15 August 1969), known as Stijn Streuvels (), was a Flemish Belgian writer. Biography He started writing at a very young age. He was inspired by his uncle, the poet Guido Gezelle. Until ...

. In 1909, he married and settled near

Waregem Waregem (; ), spelled Waereghem before, is a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality lies in the valley of the river Lys, between Kortrijk and Ghent. It is part of the administrative district of ...

Career

In 1902, he debuted at the Sint-Lucasgilde in

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...

and began to exhibit more widely. He spent time in

Meetjesland The Meetjesland () is a historical region in the north-west of the province East Flanders in Belgium. Etymology There are many legends surrounding the origin of the name. The most known is the one of Emperor Charles V (Charles V) who was known for ...

, painting landscapes. From 1905, he participated in the exhibitions of ''Vie et Lumière'', a luminist group, along with Claus,

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 ...

and

Jenny Montigny Jeanne (Jenny) Montigny (8 December 1875, Ghent – 31 October 1937, Deurle) was a Belgian painter. Life Montigny's father was a lawyer and government official who oversaw several boards and commissions and was later Dean of the law faculty at ...

. At the outbreak of World War I, he fled to the Netherlands, although he returned in 1915 and moved about as the war dictated. His home and studio were destroyed in 1918 and he ended up living with a forester near

Brakel Brakel may refer to: ;Places * Brakel, Belgium, East Flanders, Belgium * Brakel, Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany * Brakel (Gelderland), Gelderland, Netherlands * Brakel (North Brabant), North Brabant, Netherlands ;Other uses * Wilhelmus � ...

. After the armistice, he painted scenes of the devastation at the

front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * '' The Front'', 1976 film Music * The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and ...

, then settled in

Wakken Wakken is a village and ''deelgemeente'' in Dentergem municipality, in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The village is located near the confluence of the rivers Lys and Mandel. History Wakken is one of the seven oldest parishes in W ...

the following year. He again began to exhibit extensively, including shows at the Paris

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

and the Carnegie Institute in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. During this period, his colors became darker and the contrasts harsher, approaching

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 rad ...

. In 1926, he built his ideal home-studio, the "Zonnehuys" (Sun House), in Zulte. Several taverns in the area claim to have

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es that he painted. A square in Olsene (a district of Zulte) was named after him in 1999.

Gallery

File:Kermis-Huys.jpg, Fairground in Kerselaere (c.1912) File:Markt te Waregem - Modest Huys - Museum van Deinze en de Leiestreek mudel - 0255-HUY.m8.jpg, Market in Waregem File:Vlasoogst - Modest Huys - Museum van Deinze en de Leiestreek mudel - 0250-HUY.M3.jpg, ''Flax harvest''

Museum van Deinze en de Leiestreek Museum van Deinze en de Leiestreek (Dutch language, Dutch for 'Museum of Deinze and the Leie region'), also known as mudel, is a museum of fine arts and folklore located in the city of Deinze, Belgium. The permanent exhibition displays exclusively ...

File:Overzet - Modest Huys - Museum van Deinze en de Leiestreek mudel - 0251-HUY.m4.jpg, ''Transfer''

File:Modest Huys 001.JPG, The Willows (date unknown)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huys, Modest 1874 births 1932 deaths Impressionism 20th-century Belgian painters People from Zulte

Personal life

Career

Gallery

Further reading

References

External links