Van Puyenbroeck Jan

Jan Van Puyenbroeck was a Belgian painter, born in Antwerp in 1887 and died in Schoten in 1972. He was educated at the Academy and at the Higher Institute in Antwerp, under the supervision of E. Joors. Until about 1935 he mainly painted religious and biblically inspired scenes in a dreamy, poetic atmosphere. He then fell under the spell of portrait painting, wrote poems, essays and novels and, in 1949, was awarded the literary prize of the city of Antwerp. He portrayed G. Walschap and A. Van De Velde, among others. In addition to religious scenes, which sometimes appear fairy-like, character heads and portraits, he sometimes also painted landscapes, compositions and still lifes. Sometimes he reworked the same subject up to five times, each time in a different tonality and with the addition or omission of characters. From the press: “J.V.P. always strikes us through the vague merging of warm-patinated colours.” During the First World War he lived in England and the Netherlands. In 1921 he made a trip to Spain. Between 1930 and 1940 he traveled to Italy, England, Austria and Germany. We can find his work in the museum in Antwerp. He is mentioned in BAS II and Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (piron)