Verheyden Isidore

Isidore Verheyden was a Belgian painter, born in Antwerp in 1846 and died in Ixelles in 1905. He was the son and pupil of genre painter François Verheyden. He received his training at the Academy in Brussels under the guidance of J. Quinaux (1857-1868). He also took lessons in the studio of J. Portaels. He created landscapes, portraits, and figures. Initially, he painted in a somber and massive realistic style and perfected his landscape painting in the Kempen. In 1872, he settled in Hoeilaart and painted the Sonian Forest, visited H. Boulenger, and was mainly interested in the play of light which he conveyed in crosshatched and luscious brushstrokes. Around 1880, he evolved towards a more impressionistic touch. He designed one sculpture: the portrait of Anna Boch, exhibited in 1885. He was a member of the group Les XX. In 1900, he became a professor and in 1904 director of the Academy in Brussels. His works can be found in the museums of Antwerp, Brussels, Aalst, Ghent, Bruges, Ostend, Liège, Mons, and Leuven. He is mentioned in BAS I and Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (Piron) ​