GRANDFATHER’S STORIES

Painter of genre scnes; aquafortist and engraver.

Willem Linnig was the brother of the paintiners Joseph and Egide Linnig and father of Willem Linnig Jr.. He was a pupil of Hendrik (Henri) Leys for painting. For seven years he was a teacher at teh Weimar School of Fine Arts where he founded the Association of Engravers in 1878.

“The Retoucher”, a painting, and “The Guard”, an etching, were included in the Belgian Art Exhibition held in Brussels in 1905.

In the words of Pierre Colin: “Willem Linnig (Elder) had a skillful, placid technique which was rich in resource and he was loyal to the teachings of Leys. He produced excellent ‘School’ paintings in the Renaissance meaning of the term.”