Victor Thonet - untitled

Before and after the Second World War, a group of painters were active in the water-rich Land van Waas, west of Antwerp, who were inspired by the Scheldt. Some only captured the river occasionally, but others devoted themselves to it permanently. The light, the air and the reflections in the water were the main source of inspiration.

Victor Thonet (Antwerp 1885 - Kalmthout 1952) also chose the Scheldt as his subject in Sint-Amands and Doel. He had a predilection for vistas with white and grey clouds above them. His canvases tended towards the melancholic with their muted tones, but he managed to capture the finest nuances of light in his work. In pale blue and grey tones, this artist managed to bring to life the river that had intrigued him all his life.
The painting offered here is somewhat atypical within his oeuvre: here no rural riverbanks but a more 'industrial' landscape around an inland harbour. The palette is indeed evening, but the rendering of sky and water is no less sparkling and delicate. A beautifully painted canvas - one of the better in his oeuvre.
Includes a glossy gilded frame and a rare, antique brochure dedicated to the work of Victor Thonet.