VIEW OF BORNHEM, BELGIUM

Painter of genre scenes, animals and popular scenes.

Louis van Engelen was the brother of Piet van Engelen. He was a pupil of the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts and was fostered and advised by Charles Verlat who selected him to help with the panorama of the Battle of Waterloo. When this work was finished, the French painter Dumarescq sought his collaboration for the panorama of the Battle of Bapaume in Lille. In 1882 he left for Russia with Verlat to take part in painting a panorama of Moscow with Boom, Houben and Vinck. In 1883, on his return after an absence of six months, he then left for Italy with Baron Van Havre. In 1893 he travelled across the United States for several months and painted a certain number of portraits there. In 1897 he sailed for the Congo and a little while after his return to Antwerp, he set off again with the expedition to the Kerguelen Isles.