Théodore Baron (19 August 1840 - 4 September 1899) was a Belgian landscape painter in the Realistic style.

Biography

He was initially trained in the

Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

style; first by Hippolyte de la Charlerie in

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 ...

, then by Louis Dubois, Guillaume Van der Hecht, and

François-Joseph Navez François-Joseph Navez (16 November 1787 in Charleroi – 12 October 1869 in Brussels) was a Belgian Neoclassicism, Neoclassical painter; known for his portraits and Genre art, genre scenes. Biography As the son of an alderman, in a privileged f ...

. By 1860, he was already working at the artists' colony in

Genk Genk () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality comprises only the town of Genk itself. It ...

, making him a member of the . In 1863, together with

Louis Artan Louis Victor Antonio Artan de Saint-Martin (20 April 1837 – 23 May 1890)Profile @ the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie. was a Dutch-Belgian painter and etcher who specialized in seascapes. Biography He was born into a noble famil ...

, he explored the wooded areas around Brussels and came into contact with artists painting en plein aire. During that time, he developed a predilection for creating more realistic landscapes than those he had studied. From 1865 to 1868, he lived in

Kalmthout Kalmthout () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises the villages of Kalmthout, Achterbroek, Heide, Kalmthout, Heide, and Nieuwmoer. In 2021, Kalmthou ...

and focused on painting the typically desolate landscapes found in the

Campine The Campine () or Kempen () is a natural region situated chiefly in north-eastern Belgium and parts of the south-eastern Netherlands which once consisted mainly of extensive moors, tracts of sandy heath, and wetlands. It encompasses a large n ...

region. There, he met a group of like-minded artists; Jacques Rosseels (1828-1912), , Adrien-Joseph Heymans and

Florent Crabeels Florent Nicolas Crabeels (5 December 1829, Antwerp – 7 June 1896, Antwerp) was a Belgian Genre art, genre and landscape painter. Life and work He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp), Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, with ...

, generally referred to as the . He returned to Brussels in 1868, and renewed his ties with the artists in

Tervuren Tervuren (; ) is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Duisburg, Tervuren proper, Vossem and Moorsel. On 1 January 2006, Tervuren had a total population o ...

, thereby creating a link between the Kalmhoutse and the . He also spent some time working in

Hoeilaart Hoeilaart () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The name Hoeilaart is of Gallic-Celtic origin, coming from "Ho-Lar," meaning a high clearing in the woods. Residents are called Hoeilanders or Doenders. The municipality ...

and

Auderghem Auderghem ( French, ; former Dutch spelling) or Oudergem ( Dutch, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-eastern part of the region, along the Woluwe valley and at the entrance to the ...

, painting the old ponds in the vicinity of the

Red Cloister Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

. That same year, he became a co-founder of the

Société Libre des Beaux-Arts The Société Libre des Beaux-Arts ("Free Society of Fine Arts") was an organization formed in 1868 by Belgian artists to react against academicism and to advance Realist painting and artistic freedom. Based in Brussels, the society was active un ...

. He was constantly moving about; painting in the

Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...

river valley and along the river

Lesse The Lesse is a river in the Ardennes, in the Walloon region of Belgium. It is a right tributary to the river Meuse. The source of the Lesse is near Libramont-Chevigny, in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. The Lesse flows roughly in north-weste ...

. He also worked with

Félicien Rops Félicien Victor Joseph Rops (; 7 July 1833 – 23 August 1898) was a Belgian artist associated with Symbolism (arts), Symbolism, Decadence, and the Parisian , a member of the Les XX group. He was a painter, illustrator, caricaturist and a proli ...

and

Octave Maus Octave Maus (12 June 1856 – 26 November 1919) was a Belgian art critic, writer, lawyer and cousin of the painters Anna and Eugène Boch. Maus worked with fellow writer/lawyer Edmond Picard, and they together with Victor Arnould and Eug ...

at an artists' retreat in

Anseremme Anseremme (; ) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Dinant, located in the province of Namur, Belgium. Anseremme is situated where the river Lesse and Meuse meet. The agricultural sector and tourism are the most impor ...

. In 1870, he stayed with the art critic,

Camille Lemonnier Antoine Louis Camille Lemonnier (; 24 March 1844 – 13 June 1913) was a Belgian writer, poet and journalist. He was a member of the Symbolist ''La Jeune Belgique'' group, but his best known works are realist. His first work was ''Salon de Bruxel ...

, at his home near

Profondeville Profondeville (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. On January 1, 2016, Profondeville had a total population of 12,117. The total area of the municipality is and the population density is 240.70 inhabita ...

. Later, he travelled as far as France and Italy. In 1882, he became a teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

, replacing

Ferdinand Marinus Ferdinand Joseph Bernard Marinus (20 August 1808, Antwerp – 6 July 1890, Namur) was a Belgian painter of landscapes, with staffage. Over the years, his style evolved from a standard Neo-Classicism to a modified form of Romanticism. Biograph ...

. His best known students there include

Isidore Verheyden Isidore Verheyden (24 January 1846, in Antwerp – 1 November 1905, in Elsene) was a Belgium, Belgian painter of landscapes, portraits and still life. He was the son of painter Jean-François Verheyden; his first teacher at the Académie Roya ...

and Hippolyte de la Charlerie. In 1884, he was appointed the Academy's Director, and remained in that position until his death. Streets have been named after him in Auderghem and Namur where a monument, created by

Charles van der Stappen Charles van der Stappen (also Karl van der Stappen; 19 September 1843 – 21 October 1910), was a Belgian sculptor, born in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. Life Educated at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels (1859–1868), van der Stappen ...

, has been erected.

Sources

* Herman De Vilder, "De School van Tervuren : in de bedding van de tijd"; De Vrienden van de School van Tervuren, 2008 * Hoozee R., "Barbizon en België"; in: "De School van Barbizon"; exhibition catalog, Museum voor Schone Kunst, Ghent 1985 * Paul Piron, ''De Belgische beeldende kunstenaars uit de 19de en 20ste eeuw'', 2nd ed., 1999, * E. Benezit, ''Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs''; Librairie Gründ, Paris 1976

External links

More works by Baron
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Baron, Theodore 1840 births 1899 deaths People from Ixelles 19th-century Belgian painters Belgian male painters 19th-century Belgian male artists