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Lot Essay
Gustave van de Woestyne is part of the group of Belgian artists generally referred to as the Laethem School. In 1900, Gustave and his brother, the author and poet Karel van de Woestyne, moved from Ghent to Laethem-Saint-Martin, a small village on the river Leie, in search of a quiet place to live close to nature. With Valerius de Saedeleer, George Minne and Alfons Dessenis, Van de Woestyne formed the first 'generation' of the Laethem School, which was followed shortly by a second group of artists (Albert Servaes, Frits van den Berghe, Constant Permeke, Léon de Smet and Gustave de Smet).
During his stay in Laethem (until 1909), van de Woestyne executed numerous landscapes, portraits and religious scenes in a very personal symbolist style. His strong social engagement, already present in his early works, is reflected in the many portraits of farmers he painted during the years 1908-1914. "Les têtes de paysans [...], d'une grande monumentalité, elles ont une allure à la fois naturaliste et expressionniste." (J. de Geest, Gustave van de Woestyne 1881-1947, Ghent 1997, p. 33.) These paintings reveal a strong influence of Pieter Breughel and other Flemish primitive masters, whose work had deeply impressed Van de Woestyne at an exhibition in Bruges in 1902. The art of the Italian quattrocento formed another important source of inspiration.
On the farmers portrayed by his brother, Karel van de Woestyne wrote in 1929: "Certains de ses paysans sont d'une expression si poignante. Aucune souffrance n'a échappé à Gustave van de Woestyne. S'il a pu voir souvent les paysans dans leur laideur obtuse ou rusée, jamais il n'a trahi ce qu'ils possèdent de profondément humain; souvent même, il les a haussées à leur niveau d'humanité la plus élevée." (J. de Geest, op.cit., p. 93-94.)
The present lot, painted in 1911, clearly shows the influence of the Flemish primitives and Italian quattrocento art. It is closely related to the portraits of the farmers both in subject matter and style, with the emphasis on the facial expression and the golden background reminiscent of icon painting. Van de Woestyne has placed his 'Papeter' against the golden background as the saint in an icon. Like the farmers, the 'Papeter' is part of Van de Woestyne's "prolétariat caravagiesque où les visages burinés, surchargés de rides, de paysans ou de pêcheurs s'identifient à des têtes de saints et de martyrs." (C. Collin, Gustave van de Woestyne, L'Art et l'esprit, Brussels 1993, p. 26.) The subject of the painting, a man at a table, might also refer to the Last Supper, a theme Van de Woestyne has represented more often.
The composition of the painting is of particular interest: the plate of porridge is represented as large as the man's head, and the attention of the spectator is drawn first to the food on the table. In the same year, Van de Woestyne painted another 'Papeter', of similar dimensions but different in composition (1911, private collection, 59 x 45 cm). While the man in the present lot is pensively watching something outside the picture, the other 'Papeter' is looking straight at the spectator with a sad expression on his face. It is certainly not without reason that Van de Woestyne is often considered "l'un des portraitistes les plus brillants et les plus sensibles de son temps". (C. Collin, op.cit., p. 18)
During his stay in Laethem (until 1909), van de Woestyne executed numerous landscapes, portraits and religious scenes in a very personal symbolist style. His strong social engagement, already present in his early works, is reflected in the many portraits of farmers he painted during the years 1908-1914. "Les têtes de paysans [...], d'une grande monumentalité, elles ont une allure à la fois naturaliste et expressionniste." (J. de Geest, Gustave van de Woestyne 1881-1947, Ghent 1997, p. 33.) These paintings reveal a strong influence of Pieter Breughel and other Flemish primitive masters, whose work had deeply impressed Van de Woestyne at an exhibition in Bruges in 1902. The art of the Italian quattrocento formed another important source of inspiration.
On the farmers portrayed by his brother, Karel van de Woestyne wrote in 1929: "Certains de ses paysans sont d'une expression si poignante. Aucune souffrance n'a échappé à Gustave van de Woestyne. S'il a pu voir souvent les paysans dans leur laideur obtuse ou rusée, jamais il n'a trahi ce qu'ils possèdent de profondément humain; souvent même, il les a haussées à leur niveau d'humanité la plus élevée." (J. de Geest, op.cit., p. 93-94.)
The present lot, painted in 1911, clearly shows the influence of the Flemish primitives and Italian quattrocento art. It is closely related to the portraits of the farmers both in subject matter and style, with the emphasis on the facial expression and the golden background reminiscent of icon painting. Van de Woestyne has placed his 'Papeter' against the golden background as the saint in an icon. Like the farmers, the 'Papeter' is part of Van de Woestyne's "prolétariat caravagiesque où les visages burinés, surchargés de rides, de paysans ou de pêcheurs s'identifient à des têtes de saints et de martyrs." (C. Collin, Gustave van de Woestyne, L'Art et l'esprit, Brussels 1993, p. 26.) The subject of the painting, a man at a table, might also refer to the Last Supper, a theme Van de Woestyne has represented more often.
The composition of the painting is of particular interest: the plate of porridge is represented as large as the man's head, and the attention of the spectator is drawn first to the food on the table. In the same year, Van de Woestyne painted another 'Papeter', of similar dimensions but different in composition (1911, private collection, 59 x 45 cm). While the man in the present lot is pensively watching something outside the picture, the other 'Papeter' is looking straight at the spectator with a sad expression on his face. It is certainly not without reason that Van de Woestyne is often considered "l'un des portraitistes les plus brillants et les plus sensibles de son temps". (C. Collin, op.cit., p. 18)