De drie Gratiën (1949)

Constant Permeke prints bring the heavy, earthbound world of Flemish Expressionism into your home. Permeke painted the fishermen of Ostend, the farmers of Jabbeke and the North Sea itself as solid, solemn figures and brooding skies. Our collection of more than 130 fine art prints covers his whole career, from early harbour views and bright English landscapes to his sombre seascapes, peasant scenes, portraits and late nudes.

About Constant Permeke

Constant Permeke was born in Antwerp on 31 July 1886 and grew up in Ostend, where his father, the landscape painter Henri Permeke, founded the city's art museum. He trained at the art academies of Bruges and Ghent. In Ghent he met Frits Van den Berghe and the brothers Gustave and Léon De Smet, and he joined them in the village of Sint-Martens-Latem, home of the group later known as the School of Latem.

When the First World War broke out, Permeke was called up and seriously wounded at Duffel during the defence of Antwerp. He was evacuated to England, where his son John was born in Folkestone. From 1916 the family lived in Devon, and there he painted mostly colourful English landscapes.

He returned to Ostend in 1919 and turned to darker scenes of fishermen's lives. By 1929 he had moved inland to Jabbeke, where his house "De Vier Winden" became his home and studio, and his subjects changed from the sea to farmers and their land.

During the German occupation his work was labelled "degenerate" and he was forbidden to paint, while his son Paul was sent to Germany as a forced labourer. After the war he briefly led the Antwerp academy, and a major retrospective opened in Paris in 1947. His wife Maria died in 1948, and Permeke died in January 1952. He is buried beside her in Jabbeke, and his house there opened as a museum in 1961.

Style and Subjects

Permeke is often called the leading figure of Flemish Expressionism. He drew on Fauvism and Cubism, but also on folk and so-called "primitive" art, which shows in his simplified, monumental figures. Look for fishermen, fishermen's wives and farm families shown as heavy, solemn presences rather than pretty genre scenes.

His work moves through clear phases. The English years are bright and colourful. The Ostend years after 1919 are gloomier, with dark seascapes such as Sombere Marine. In Jabbeke the mood turns to the land: harvests, potato diggers, sowers and stables. In his last decade the human figure, especially the female nude, dominates both his paintings and his sculpture.

Famous Works

• Motherhood (1913), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. An early image of a woman from Ostend that points to the solemn figures of his later work.
• Koestal (Cowshed) (1912), Mu.ZEE, Ostend. A cowshed painted years before Permeke made the countryside his main subject.
• Sombere Marine (1924), Mu.ZEE, Ostend. One of his dark North Sea paintings from the years after he returned to Ostend.
• De Sjees (1926), Mu.ZEE, Ostend. A rural scene that Mu.ZEE counts among the highlights of its collection.
• Boerengezin met kat (Farmer's Family with Cat) (1928), Mu.ZEE, Ostend. A farm family painted around the time of his shift from the sea to the land.
• Portret van Gustave Van Geluwe (1935), Mu.ZEE, Ostend. A portrait from his Jabbeke years.
• De Drie Gratiën (The Three Graces) (1949), Permekemuseum, Jabbeke. One of his late sculptures, three monumental female figures.

Decorating with Permeke Prints

The dark seascapes, such as Sombere Marine, suit a study, a library corner or a living room with deep wall colours, wood and leather, where their brooding mood feels intentional. The peasant and harvest scenes, like De Oogst and Het Dagelijks Brood, fit naturally in a kitchen, dining room or farmhouse-style interior.

For lighter rooms, look to the English landscapes from Devon, such as Landschap in Devonshire and Strand – Devonshire, or the snowy and winter landscapes. The late nudes and figure studies work well in a bedroom or a gallery wall.

FAQ

What art movement was Constant Permeke part of?

Permeke is considered a leading figure of Flemish Expressionism. Early in his career he worked alongside Gustave De Smet and Frits Van den Berghe in Sint-Martens-Latem, as part of the School of Latem.

What is Constant Permeke's most famous painting?

He has no single signature image, but his sombre seascapes and peasant scenes are the best known. Works such as Sombere Marine, Boerengezin met kat, Gouden Oogst and Het Dagelijks Brood show the subjects he is remembered for.

Where can I see Constant Permeke's original paintings?

The largest collection belongs to Mu.ZEE in Ostend, which holds more than 200 of his works split between Ostend and the Permekemuseum, his former home and studio in Jabbeke. Check both museums' websites for current opening times before you visit.

How can you recognize a Permeke painting?

Look for heavy, simplified figures of fishermen, farmers and their families, set in dark seas or flat Flemish fields. His forms owe something to Cubism and folk art, and the mood is usually serious rather than decorative.

Was Constant Permeke also a sculptor?

Yes. He began sculpting in 1937, mostly female figures in monumental forms. Well-known pieces include De Zaaier (1939), Niobe (1946) and De Drie Gratiën (1949).

Related Artists

• Gustave De Smet — School of Latem painter and friend from the Ghent academy, with whom Permeke shared rooms in Ostend
• Frits Van den Berghe — Ghent classmate and School of Latem companion; Permeke worked with him in Astene in 1922–1924
• George Minne — friend who made the statue on the grave of Permeke's wife in Jabbeke