Van Den Heuvel Karel Jan

Karel-Jan Van Den Heuvel was a Belgian painter, born in Borgerhout in 1913 and died in Antwerp in 1991. He was educated at the Academy and at the Higher Institute in Antwerp. He was a student of Is. Opsomer and was influenced by V. Thonet. He painted (studio) interiors, still lifes, harvest scenes, river views, landscapes and nature impressions. He was a sharp yet sensitive color expressionist. From the press: “The synthetic vision of his subjects is striking. Especially in his landscapes (near Viersel) he juggles with colors: shimmering yellows and harvest scenes and pink, friendly village scenes. Empty snow-covered fields with few details, under gray-gray winter skies give you shivers. Elsewhere he unpacks with fresh greens and blazing reds, because the world is always in colors.' In 1936 he was awarded the Piet Van Engelen Prize and in 1943 he came second for the Rome Prize. He received the Art Jeune prize in 1944/1945, the Camille Huysmans prize in 1948, the Louise de Hem prize in 1950, and the grand prize of the Salon of the Société de l'école française in Paris in 1962. He was a teacher at the Academy in Antwerp (1951-1978). Work by Karel-Jan Van Den Heuvel can be found in the collection of the municipality of Borgerhout (Oogst). He is mentioned in BAS II and Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (Piron)