(Waregem 1849–1924 Deinze)
The Leie River, 1912, signed Emile Claus, inscribed with monogram Junij /A. B./E. C. on the reverse, oil on canvas, 43 x 59.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
European Private Collection

Emile Claus was the most important representative of Impressionism in Belgium. Celebrated in the great retrospective of 1997 at the PMMK in Ostend, he studied with the landscape painter Jacob Jacobs at the academy in Antwerp. Under the influence of French Impressionists, his style changed from Naturalism to Impressionism. The reason for this can be found in his many visits to Paris, where Impressionism was popular. Particularly influenced by Claude Monet, he developed a style known as Luminism. In 1904 he started the artist group ‘Vie et Lumière’ (‘Life and Light’) and began to be referred to as the ‘sun painter’ and the ‘painter of the Leie’. And the River Leie – represented in this iconic painting – is, indeed, central in his work. Portrayed frozen, imbued with a wintery atmosphere, bathed in the evening light, and animated by people or herds of cows, this river is a paramount element of his oeuvre.
To use the words of Johan De Smet, curator of the Ostend retrospective and main reference in the studies on this artist: “The river occupies a special place in the experience of the rural inhabitants. It is often the furthest limit of their environment. What lies behind the bend, downstream or upstream, doesn’t really matter. Only the adventurous spirit will struggle to go further and break the border of the close-knit community”.
Claus does not go against that way of thinking. He displays the landscape, still and unfathomable, without further ado. The other bank beckons but it is seldom reached.
In this wonderful landscape, dated 1912, there is no evidence of reflection, just neutral and accurate observation. The River Leie keeps flowing, distant and majestic.