Still Life with Jar

Henri de Braekeleer prints bring the stillness and soft light of old Antwerp interiors into your home: a man sitting by a window, a geographer with his globe, a quiet kitchen, an art lover among his pictures. De Braekeleer was a Belgian painter whose intimate scenes of everyday life recall the Dutch masters of the seventeenth century, and Vincent van Gogh admired his work. Our collection of fine art prints includes his interiors, figures, street scenes and studies.

About Henri de Braekeleer

Henri Jean Augustin de Braekeleer was born in Antwerp on 11 June 1840. He learned to draw from his father, the well-known genre painter Ferdinand de Braekeleer, and from his uncle Henri Leys. He entered the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1854 and first exhibited in 1858. In 1863 and 1864 he travelled to Germany and the Netherlands to study old masters.

In 1869 he agreed a contract with the dealer Gustave Coûteaux, which lasted until 1876, and his uncle Leys died that same year. These years were the most productive of his career. In 1872 he won a gold medal in Brussels for The Geographer and The Lesson, and in 1873 a gold medal at the Vienna International Exhibition for The Painter's Studio and Grandmother's Birthday Celebration.

Apparently because of depression, he seems to have stopped painting between 1879 and 1881. When he began again, he used shorter, more visible brushstrokes, perhaps under the influence of the Impressionists. Vincent van Gogh mentioned him in letters to his brother Theo. He died in Antwerp on 20 July 1888.

Style and Subjects

De Braekeleer's interiors are calm and full of light, in the tradition of Pieter de Hooch and Johannes Vermeer. Single figures, often old men or women at work, sit quietly in rooms filled with old furniture, maps, pictures and objects, lit by a window.

His colour is warm and rich, with careful attention to textures of wood, fabric and glass. His later work is looser and brighter, with freer brushwork.

Famous Works

• Garden of a Florist (1864), Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp. A flower garden painted early in his career.
• The Dining Room at the Home of Henri Leys (1869), Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp. His uncle's dining room, painted in the year of Leys's death.
• The Geographer (1871), Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels. A scholar with his maps and globe, which won a gold medal in 1872.
• Man at the Window (1873), Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels. An old man seated by a window in a quiet room.
• The Man in the Chair (1876), Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp. A man resting in an armchair, his most famous painting.
• The Retoucher (1876), Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp. A craftsman at work retouching a painting.
• The Art Lover (1884), Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp. A collector among his paintings, from his later, looser period.

Decorating with de Braekeleer Prints

De Braekeleer's quiet interiors suit studies, libraries and reading rooms, where their calm light and old furniture feel at home. The Geographer is a natural choice for a study or map lover's room, and The Man in the Chair for a sitting room.

His kitchens and domestic scenes, such as Kitchen, suit a dining room or kitchen, and look best in dark wood frames.

FAQ

Who was Henri de Braekeleer?

Henri de Braekeleer was a Belgian painter who lived from 1840 to 1888. He is known for quiet, light-filled interiors and scenes of everyday life in Antwerp.

Who taught Henri de Braekeleer?

He was trained by his father, the genre painter Ferdinand de Braekeleer, and his uncle Henri Leys, and studied at the Antwerp Academy.

What is de Braekeleer's most famous painting?

The Man in the Chair (1876), in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, is among his best known, along with The Geographer.

Did Van Gogh know de Braekeleer's work?

Yes. Van Gogh mentioned him several times in letters to his brother Theo, as an artist he liked.

Where can I see de Braekeleer's paintings?

The Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels hold many works. Others are in the Musée d'Orsay and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Related Artists

• Pieter de Hooch: Dutch master of light-filled interiors who influenced him
• Jan August Hendrik Leys: his uncle and teacher, Baron Henri Leys
• Jan Steen: Dutch Golden Age genre painter
• Alfred Stevens: Belgian painter of interiors of the same era