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De Antwerpse schilder René Engelen

Engelen René

René Engelen was a Belgian artist who was born in Antwerp in 1897 and died in Borgerhout in 1971. He was a painter and watercolorist. From 1912 pupil at the Academy in Ghent under the direction of F. Gogo. Incorporated in a personal style the influence of the marine painters A. Baertsoen, R. Baseleer, D. Van Raemdonck and especially F. Hens. His inspiration was exclusively to be found in port life, the sea and the Scheldt. He sought to depict the change of atmosphere on the water in a lyrical way. Loved wide skies and endless horizons. He was fascinated not so much by the picturesque nature of the banks of the Scheldt, but by the tremendous grandeur of nature and the river, which he managed to capture in moving canvases. Initially painted colorful and tradition-bound, then moved to more grays. A long period of illness and inactivity led him to a more abstract, suggestive painting with a deeper color with striking main colors. Sporadically also painted Antwerp cityscapes. From 1937 was secretary of the National Association of Painters and Sculptors of Belgium. Founding member of the Antwerp Port and Scheldt Painters Group in 1965. Work in the Museum in Antwerp, among others. Mentioned in Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. Source: Piron