De Vriendt Samuel

Samuel De Vriendt was a Belgian painter, born in Schaarbeek/Brussels in 1884 and died in Sint-Antonius-Brecht in 1974. He was the son of Julien De Vriendt. He trained at the Academy in Antwerp, where he became friends with Joe English. He created portraits, figures, children, flowers, religious and biblical subjects, war scenes, quiet village scenes, and poetic views of Bruges. From the press: "The work of S.D.V. is not fireworks, not hollow bravado. It is a quiet prayer to eternal beauty, which, beyond all fashion, remains bound to everything that is itself and simple." (1927) He also worked as a designer of stained glass windows and illustrations. He experienced World War I at the Yser Front and was a co-founder of Art at the Yser. He organized, together with Dr. F. Daels, the first Yser pilgrimage to the grave of Joe English in 1920. During World War II, he was the Alderman of Fine Arts in Bruges. His work can be found in the Museum in Diksmuide. He is mentioned in the Lexicon of West Flemish Visual Artists III, CRICK, BAS II, and Two Centuries of Signatures of Belgian Artists. (Piron)