BAES Firmin
THE BEAUTIFUL FOREIGNER
Pastel: 95 x 67 cm / 37.4 x 26.4 in
Signed lower right
Painter of portraits, figures, landscapes, genre scenes and still lifes with flowers.
Firmin Baes was the son of the decorator Henri Baes. He was a pupil of his father and of Léon Frédéric at the Brussels Fine Arts Academy and at the free Academy “La Patte de Dindon” (1894-1900). He made his debut around 1900 as a painter of figures and landscapes. He worked in Luxembourg and Zeeland and at the Belgian coast, where he had a preference for Knokke. His early works show the influence of Léon Frédéric, but Baes soon moved to a clearer and velvety line. He became known as a painter of realistic figures and made delicate use of light and shadow.
Baes managed to infuse his paintings with a timeless and fashion-free soul by emphasizing the concentration and inner life of his characters. He was a master of the pastel technique and took part in several exhibitions.
Period:
Saint-Josse-ten-Noode 1874 - Brussels 1943
Belgian School
Exhibitions:
Antwerp - Brussels - Charleroi - Ixelles - Ostend - Ypres
Literature:
P. & V. Berko, "Dictionary of Flower Painters; Belgian and Dutch Artists born between 1750 and 1880", Knokke 1995, p. 110.
P. & V. Berko, "Dictionary of Belgian painters born between 1750 & 1875", Knokke 1981, p. 25.
G. Naegels-Delfosse, "Firmin Baes", Brussels 1987.
