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Frans Hens BIOGRAPHY
1856 Antwerp, Belgium - 1928 Antwerp, Belgium. Known for: Post-impressionist rural landscape and marine painting, printmaking.
Frans Hens was a Belgian post-impressionist painter, draftsman, watercolorist, printmaker. He is best known as Schelde Painter, meaning painted along the River Schelde. He was also a pioneer of... Read full biography
Frans Hens was a Belgian post-impressionist painter, draftsman, watercolorist, printmaker. He is best known as Schelde Painter, meaning painted along the River Schelde. He was also a pioneer of African art. He received his education in 1872 at the Academy of Antwerp led by Jacob Jacobs (1812-1879).... Read full biography
Frans Hens was a Belgian post-impressionist painter, draftsman, watercolorist, printmaker. He is best known as Schelde Painter, meaning painted along the River Schelde. He was also a pioneer of African art. He received his education in 1872 at the Academy of Antwerp led by Jacob Jacobs (1812-1879). He moved to America in 1873, but was already back in 1874. Hens then went further to perfect himself at the Academy of Antwerp. He became friends with Theodore Verstraete, who, as one of the better... Read full biography
Frans Hens was a Belgian post-impressionist painter, draftsman, watercolorist, printmaker. He is best known as Schelde Painter, meaning painted along the River Schelde. He was also a pioneer of African art. He received his education in 1872 at the Academy of Antwerp led by Jacob Jacobs (1812-1879). He moved to America in 1873, but was already back in 1874. Hens then went further to perfect himself at the Academy of Antwerp. He became friends with Theodore Verstraete, who, as one of the better artists of Belgian post-impressionism, would affect the style of French Hens. He was also a close friend of Emile Claus, with whom he often saw local exhibitions of the Cercle Artistique of Antwerp and with whom he had open and innovative discussions... Read full biography
Frans Hens was a Belgian post-impressionist painter, draftsman, watercolorist, printmaker. He is best known as Schelde Painter, meaning painted along the River Schelde. He was also a pioneer of African art. He received his education in 1872 at the Academy of Antwerp led by Jacob Jacobs (1812-1879). He moved to America in 1873, but was already back in 1874. Hens then went further to perfect himself at the Academy of Antwerp. He became friends with Theodore Verstraete, who, as one of the better artists of Belgian post-impressionism, would affect the style of French Hens. He was also a close friend of Emile Claus, with whom he often saw local exhibitions of the Cercle Artistique of Antwerp and with whom he had open and innovative discussions about art, life and reality. Apparently Frans Hens was adventurous because he worked for a time as a circus acrobat in Germa... Read full biography
Artist Biography
Biography page for Frans Hens ((1856 - 1928)), known for Post-impressionist rural landscape and marine painting, printmaking. Showing 1 biographical entries and 0 sample artworks.
Frans Hens - Artist Info
About Frans Hens
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Frans Hens was a Belgian post-impressionist painter, draftsman, watercolorist, printmaker. He is best known as Schelde Painter, meaning painted along the River Schelde. He was also a pioneer of African art.
He received his education in 1872 at the Academy of Antwerp led by Jacob Jacobs (1812-1879). He moved to America in 1873, but was already back in 1874.
Hens then went further to perfect himself at the Academy of Antwerp. He became friends with Theodore Verstraete, who, as one of the better artists of Belgian post-impressionism, would affect the style of French Hens. He was also a close friend of Emile Claus, with whom he often saw local exhibitions of the Cercle Artistique of Antwerp and with whom he had open and innovative discussions about art, life and reality.
Apparently Frans Hens was adventurous because he worked for a time as a circus acrobat in Germany. In 1886 he became the first Belgian artist to travel to the Congo Free State, the private property of King Leopold II. There he was much impressed by the African art. In the period 1887-1888, he made a second trip to the Congo. He had searched in vain for sponsors or a contribution from the Belgian State but, unsuccessful, had to make these trips entirely at his own expense.
He traveled throughout Bas-Congo (now Congo Central) to the country of Bangala, where the tribe upstream along the Congo river lived. He painted landscapes along the River Congo in which he sought the scattered light from sunny landscapes.
French Hens was a teacher at the National Institute of Fine Arts in Antwerp from 1919 to 1923. His pupil Joseph Vinck described him as a very progressive and a good painter. Other students were the post-impressionist landscape painter Victor Thonet (1885-1952) and John Michaux (1876-1956).
Frans Hens sought inspiration for his work along the Scheldt, in the Kempen, and the sea.
He belonged to the Wechelse Painting School along with Florent Crabeels, Henry Van de Velde, Isidore Meyers, Isidore Verheyden, Jules Schmalzigaug, Frans Van Leemputten, Theodore Verstraete, Richard Baseleer, Alfred Hazledine, Adriaan Joseph Heymans and Jake Rosseels. These artists came together in the inn "In Den Keyser", where they could have a studio.
His works are exhibited in the museums of Arlon, Antwerp (Royal Museum of Fine Arts), Brussels, Ghent ( Fine Arts Museum ) and Tervuren ( Royal Museum for Central Africa
Source:
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frans_Hens