Emile Claus

myminifactory

During his years in Antwerp, Claus primarily focused on painting portraits and detailed, anecdotal genre pieces that showcased his mastery of realism. Recognized as the trailblazer of Belgian luminism, Claus founded the society Vie et Lumière ('life and light') in 1904 and earned the nicknames 'sun painter' and 'painter of the Lys'. One notable example is his painting Cows crossing the Lys (1899), which captures a group of varied cows being herded across a small river, with sunlight reflecting off the moving water. The painting hangs prominently in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels. During World War I, while living in exile in London, Claus created a series of views on the river Thames, known as "reflections on the Thames", in the style reminiscent of Monet. These works are considered his most traditional impressionist pieces. On June 14, 1924, Claus passed away in Astene, leaving behind the final words: “Bloemen, bloemen, bloemen …” ('Flowers, flowers, flowers'). The day before his death, he had painted a pastel of a bouquet of flowers sent to him by Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. Claus is laid to rest in his own garden in Astene and a street bears his name in Brussels.