Albert Servaes
| Albert Servaes | |
|---|---|
| Born |
4 April 1883 Ghent, Belgium |
| Died | 19 April 1966 (aged 83) Lucerne, Switzerland |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Education | Latem School |
| Known for | Painter |
| Notable work | The Potato Planters (1909), Stations of the Cross of Luithagen (1919), Pietá (1920) |
| Movement | Expressionism |
Albert Servaes (4 April 1883 – 19 April 1966) was a Belgian expressionist painter. He was part of the first Latem school of painting which focused on Mystical Realism, but became a founder of Belgian expressionism later in life. He became known for his religious works, typically showing the suffering of Jesus Christ, which stirred controversy in the Roman Catholic Church. He also gained fame for his expressionist landscapes.
Albert Servaes was born in the city of Ghent, in the Flanders region of Belgium. He painted from a young age, and was mostly self-taught. At the age of 23, Servaes joined a community of artists outside of Ghent, in Sint-Martens-Latem. He became religiously interested while living in the community, and he befriended members of the church. At this time, he developed an interest in religious works and mysticism, which would play a major part in the first Latem School he would join. Servaes struggled to live off his paintings early in his career, but he gained fame and recognition in Ghent and Belgium during World War I. Several of his exhibitions near Ghent solidified his name in the regional art discourse while also stabilizing him financially.
Servaes was a member of the first Latem school of Painting, which was focused on mystical realism. Other members of the school included George Minne, Gustave van de Woestijne, Valerius De Saedeleer, and Albijn Van den Abeele. The school’s mystical realism orientation was a reaction to the Paris-based Impressionist art that had dominated the painting world for the previous half-century. With George Minne, Servaes gained international recognition because of major exhibits in Brussels and Amsterdam.
Servaes and other painters of the time were forced to innovate in order to keep their livelihood alive. Photographers were intruding on an industry that had once been dominated by painters. In order to gain attention from critics and the public, artists in the early 20th century had to be original. This contrasts past painters who worked toward a mastery of the common painting techniques such as the use of light and color. Since photography could easily portray exactly what an artist sees, painters needed to find a fresh method to express themselves. Servaes innovated in his work using painting techniques that founded Flemish Expressionism. He experimented with different ways to show his personal emotions through his paintings.
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