Compositie

Jules Schmalzigaug prints burst with color, light and motion. Schmalzigaug was one of the very few Belgian painters to join Italian Futurism, and his paintings of Venice, dancers and crowded ballrooms break the world into rhythms of bright color. This collection gathers art prints of his Futurist abstractions, his Venetian views, his later seaside scenes from Scheveningen, and portraits and figure studies.

About Jules Schmalzigaug

Jules Schmalzigaug was born in Antwerp in 1882 into a wealthy family of German origin. Diagnosed with scoliosis as a boy, he was sent to school in Dessau, Germany, where a landscape painter noticed his talent for drawing. He then studied briefly at the Brussels academy and for a year at the art academy in Karlsruhe.

In 1905 he spent nine months traveling through Italy, and the light of Venice made a deep impression on him. Back in Antwerp he worked for the art society Kunst van Heden, helping to organize international exhibitions. From 1910 to 1912 he lived mainly in Paris, where the 1912 exhibition of the Italian Futurists, and especially the paintings of Gino Severini, changed his direction.

He moved to Venice, and the years 1912 to 1914 were the happiest and most productive of his life. In 1914 he showed six paintings at the international Futurist exhibition in Rome. When the First World War began he was declared unfit for military service and moved with his family to The Hague. Isolated there and missing Venice, he fell into depression, and he took his own life in May 1917.

Style and Subjects

Schmalzigaug's best work comes from his Venice years. Inspired by Boccioni's sense of movement and Balla's abstract rhythms, he tried to build form from color alone, leaving traditional perspective behind. Ballrooms, dancers, carnival crowds and the bridges and domes of Venice dissolve into bright, interlocking bands and arcs of color.

He was fascinated by the science of light and color, and later wrote his own treatise on it. In The Hague he returned to more figurative work, painting portraits, nudes and the beach and pier at Scheveningen, though he also kept making abstract pictures.

Famous Works

• San Marco from the Piazzetta (1913), Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. The basilica of Venice seen through his bright, fractured color.
• The Rialto Bridge in Venice (1913), Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. One of the city's landmarks broken into rhythms of light.
• Speed (1914), Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. A Futurist study of pure movement.
• Development of a Theme in Red: Carnival (1914), Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. A whirl of carnival energy in reds and oranges.
• Impression in a Dance Hall (1914), Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. Dancers, lights and music turned into color and motion.
• Light (1914), Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. One of his explorations of light as the true subject of painting.
• Expression of Colour and Movement (1915), Museum of Fine Arts (MSK), Ghent. An abstract work from his years in The Hague.

Decorating with Schmalzigaug Prints

The Futurist pictures are bold and modern, and they look right at home in a contemporary living room, a creative studio or a home office. Their strong reds, blues and yellows work well against white or pale gray walls with simple black or natural wood frames.

The Venice views suit a dining room or entryway, adding color and a sense of travel. For quieter rooms, his Scheveningen beach scenes and figure studies fit a bedroom or reading corner.

FAQ

What art movement was Jules Schmalzigaug part of?

He was a Futurist, one of the few Belgian painters in the movement. He discovered Futurism in Paris in 1912 and then lived and worked in Venice.

What is Jules Schmalzigaug's most famous painting?

His Venice-period works of 1913–1914 are the best known, including Speed and Development of a Theme in Red: Carnival, both in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.

Where can I see Schmalzigaug's original paintings?

The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp holds most of his key works. Others are at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels, the museum of modern art in Ostend and the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent.

How can you recognize a Schmalzigaug painting?

Look for bright, interlocking shapes of pure color that suggest movement and light rather than solid objects. Dancers, crowds and Venetian landmarks are typical subjects.

Why is Schmalzigaug less famous than the Italian Futurists?

He worked mostly outside Belgium, his career lasted only a few years, and he received little recognition in his lifetime. Recent exhibitions have brought new attention to his work.

Related Artists

• Umberto Boccioni — Italian Futurist and friend whose paintings of movement inspired him
• Gino Severini — the Futurist whose work first won him over in Paris in 1912
• James Ensor — Belgian painter he admired and brought into a Berlin exhibition in 1908
• Jakob Smits — painter who taught him how to handle light in the studio
• Rik Wouters — Belgian painter he met in The Hague during the war