Luypaert Jean

Jean Luypaert was a Belgian artist, born in Vilvoorde in 1893 and died in Ostend in 1954. He was a painter, draftsman, watercolorist, and etcher. He received his training at the Academy in Brussels under the guidance of J. Portaels. In 1918, he co-founded the Portaelsschool in Vilvoorde with his friends Jules Van Der Elst, Jules Defrenne, and Frits Vrydaghs. He drew inspiration from cityscapes (Vilvoorde, Mechelen, Veurne, and Ostend), landscapes, seascapes with grand skies, (studio) interiors, and still lifes. He loved twilight and backlighting, and his works often exude a certain melancholy, nostalgia, and intimacy. He frequently spent the winter months in the south of France, where he discovered the intensity of the light and created numerous watercolors. In 1946, he settled permanently in Koksijde, where he converted a mill into a studio. He also had a studio in the old Spanish house Hoge Wacht on the market square in Veurne. Until 1946, he was a teacher of music and drawing in Schaerbeek and Vilvoorde. He is mentioned in BAS I, II, and Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (Piron)