Paul Delvaux is considered one of the most influential Belgian artists of the 20th century. Thirty years after his death, his paintings continue to attract the attention of Art lovers. Between the exhibition which is currently devoted to him in Liège and the art fair in Brussels, let’s go back to his works and his history.
Celebrated as one of the most emblematic Belgian artists, Paul Delvaux marked the 20th century with his mysterious and bewitching paintings. Thirty years after his disappearance, his work continues to fascinate. Often nicknamed “The painter of trains“, he marked the collective imagination with his works where locomotives and stations hold a central place.
A passion born from an early age: at three years old, he observed the rails of Brussels trams from the family balcony and the friction of rail on the catenaries, a memory that deeply marked him. “”It is not a passion, it is to have always seen. Since I was 3 years old I have been circulating by train“, Explained Delvaux, appointed honorary train station in 1984 at the age of 87, a symbolic honor for the one who had dreamed of becoming railway workers.
The trains, for Delvaux, embodied escape and mystery. His paintings, often bathed in the sweet light of twilight, illustrate deserted stations and steam locomotives, strengthening this mystery atmosphere. A moment when houses light up slowly, feeds its imagination: “He fantasized about what was happening inside these houses. This is reflected in its paintings where the moon, always present, sheds light on a particular light“, Says Camille Brasseur, director of the Delvaux Foundation.
-Fascinating and inaccessible women
If the trains have inspired Delvaux, women are just as central in his work. Uncommon, contemplative, often inaccessible, they populate his paintings with a fixed, black and enigmatic look. These representations have their origin in the complex relationship he had with his mother, an authoritarian and possessive figure. “”She wanted to keep Paul, her eldest son, near her as long as possible“explains Camille Brasseur, adding that she had convinced her that”Women could be dangerous“.
This maternal influence seems to have shaped Delvaux’s vision on women, but also its art. It was only after the death of his mother that he was able to marry his love of youth, finally accessing a certain personal serenity. With a prolific career-nearly 450 paintings in 60 years-, Paul Delvaux has always been faithful to himself, refusing the honors and the titles of nobility that was proposed.
Today, thirty years after his disappearance, the exhibition in Liège and the renewed interest in his works show how much his singular universe, mixing reverie rail and female mysteries, continues to fascinate.
Paul Delvaux Belgian Art Painting Surrealism Zoom Culture
