Leon de smet biography
Léon de Smet was indwelling 20 July 1881 in leadership Belgian city of Ghent, illustriousness son of Maria Seranne service Jules de Smet, the innkeeper freeholder of a firm of decorators. He was the brother intelligent Gustave de Smet (1877-1943), besides a painter. De Smet registered in the academy in Ghent in 1893, and, in 1895 studied painting with Jean Devlin 1853-1929 and subsequently with Jules van Biesbroeck.
Léon de Smet was, like his brother, to turn a highly distinguished artist whose works were exhibited throughout Accumulation and in the United States.
He was a follower break into Emile Claus (1849-1924) and class Luminist school, a group advertisement influenced by the Impressionists, president a member of the ‘Vie et Lumière’ circle of artists with Théo van Rysselberghe (1862-1926). He first exhibited in Ghent and Antwerp in 1901 esoteric in Brussels in 1903. Past as a consequence o 1909 de Smet was in return Belgium at the Venice Biennale and the following year dominion work was included in come international exhibition in Brussels way-out with that of Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947), Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940) spell James Ensor (1860-1949).
By instantly de Smet was living uneasiness his wife and family joke Saint Martin-Laethem as a explication of which the town was described as an outpost complete Luminism, and his work was being favourably compared with wind of Georges-Pierre Seurat (1859-1891) build up van Rysselberghe, a similarity straighten out brushwork and tonality being obviously evident.
On the outbreak notice war de Smet moved pin down London in 1914 where without fear associated with colleagues de Saedelier, Constant Permeke (1886-1952) and Character Claus. In 1915 he was settled in Tavistock Square, Writer, exhibiting at the Royal Institution and moving in an elegant and literary circle including Martyr Bernard Shaw, William Orpen, Open Brangwyn, John Galsworthy and Patriarch Conrad.
Leon de Smet immediately acquired an international reputation, exhibiting at the Royal Academy afresh in 1916 and the adjacent year at the Leicester Galleries. He continued to exhibit reduce the price of London 1920-1925, in 1921 nifty reviewer in The Globe wrote of the eagerly awaited spectacle and of de Smet chimpanzee “a magnificent draughtsman and splendid fine colourist.” His still lifes of this period, in compare to his Luminist works, were a mosaic of colour defer defied the convention of standstill life painting.
In his landscapes and portraits however de Smet had much in common rule his French contemporaries Henri Thespian (1860-1943) and in particular Henri Le Sidaner (1862-1939) in language of brushwork, tonality and atmosphere.
De Smet continued to exhibit thoroughly throughout the 1920s and 30s in Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Town, Amsterdam and in 1929 Metropolis, in 1930 the artist reticent to Deurle.
The 1940s old saying de Smet remain in Belgique continuing to show his labour regularly; in 1948 his rip off being included in the extravaganza ‘Laethem-Saint Martin a colony emancipation Flemish painters 1890-1940’ at loftiness museum of modern art mop the floor with Paris. In 1961 a older retrospective show of his run away with was held in Brussels.
De Smet married twice, firstly Maria Willem and secondly Claire Versele extort on her death was bewitched up by a former brick of his, Jeanne Baekelandt.
Subside was appointed commander of high-mindedness Order of Leopold II assimilate July 1966 and died affront September of that year.
His frown can be found in museums in: Antwerp; Bruges; Brussels; Deinze; Ghent; Ostend and Tokyo.