Louis Dewis: The Resurrection of a Belgian Post-Impressionist

Coming, as I do, from the world of wine, I am very familiar with the resurrection story wherein a formerly respected indigenous grape variety had fallen into obscurity (through disuse) and was rescued from near-extinction by the timely intervention of an intrepid "savior." Such was the case for the Schioppettina grape variety (Colli Orientali di Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia), the Malagouzia variety in Northern Greece, and the Erbamat variety (Franciacorta region of Italy). Such is also the case for Louis Dewis in the art world, a story told in a current Orlando Museum of Art exhibition titled Louis Dewis: A Belgian Post-Impressionist. According to the museum, this exhibit "places Dewis's work in historical context and seeks to reestablish his role in the story of 20th-century French and Belgian art."

Louis Dewis at Work

Orlando Museum of Art

Born Isidore Louis Dewachter in Leuze, Belgium, in 1872, this eldest of 7 children showed an early interest in art, with high-quality paintings ascribed to him by the age of eight. He adopted the pseudonym Louis Dewis to adhere to his father's wish that he not associate the family name with such a "frivolous" activity as painting.

Dewis' family owned a chain department store called Maison Deurachter which had stores located in Belgium and France. Louis entered the business in Bordeaux where his father had moved to manage the flagship store. Louis continued to develop his painting skills while working to grow the family business. He was not supported by his father or his spouse in this endeavor.

The First World War wreaked havoc on the family business and this gave Louis the space to begin showing his works in local exhibitions. He began organizing exhibitions to aid Belgium and his works shown therein garnered the attention of George Petit, a dealer who usually exhibited the works of Monet, Pissaro, Renoir, and Sisley, among others. Petit encouraged Louis to sell his business and move to Paris to concentrate on painting full time.

Louis took this advice but Petit died within 1 year of the move to Paris. Notwithstanding that setback, Louis had a successful, 25-year career in Paris (Orlando Museum of Art):

• Exhibited throughout France and Belgium in the 1920s and 30s in addition to Germany, Switzerland, Algeria, and Tunisia
• His work was chosen for the International Exposition of Art and Technology and Modern Life in Paris in 1937
• His painting View of Bruges was purchased by the French Republic for the Palace of the League of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland
• In addition, he was a member of a number of French and Belgian artist associations.

Louis left Paris in 1940 before the German WWII occupation of the city and ended up in Biarritz where he died in 1946. Intent on preserving her father's legacy, Louis' daughter had all the material in the villa packed up and sent to her in Paris. The shipped material included 400 paintings along with hundreds of drawings. This material languished in storage for over 50 years and Louis slipped from the collective memory. That is, until the 92-year-old daughter mentioned the patrimony to her American great nephew who launched an effort to restore the works -- and his relative's relevance.

Selected Works from the Exhibition
In the earliest paintings, Louis experimented with techniques aligned with Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.

Water Lilies, c. 1916 - 1921

Notre Dame, c. 1919 - 1925

The Portal, 1915

View of the Siene, c. 1919 - 1925

In his landscape paintings draw from the French schools but the Belgian influence shows through in the "darker tones of the northern climate."

Snow in the Ardennes, 1921

The Poplars, c. 1927

Poplars at Brunelles, c. 1925

The Peace of the Fields, c. 1923

The Home of the Woodman, c. 1930 - 1940

Landscape of the Belgian Ardennes, c. 1919 - 1923

The Spanish Village, c. 1942

At the end of WWI, Louis was anxious to connect with Belgium, which had suffered terribly during the war. He returned there in 1919 and painted a number of scenes of Brugges, one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe. For these paintings he deserted his Impressionist style for a more expressive realism.

Dyle Bridge at Mechelen, Belgium,
c. 1919 - 1921

Rainy Weather, c. 1923

Near Herblay, 1919

Little Village Road, c. 1935 - 1945

Port of Villefranche, 1930

The Seine at Rouen, c. 1920

Eventually Louis developed his own style,:a synthesis of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and Belgian Realism.

Two Boats on Lake Marion, 1945

Fisherman at Lake Marion, c. 1942

The Village Road, 1939

The Bright Seashore at Biarritz, c. 1939 - 1945

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, 1940

Avenue Bellefontaine (Biarritz), 1941

This is one of the more meaningful exhibitions that I have seen at the Orlando Museum of Arts since I have been resident here. This is an important story in terms of the quality of the works, the period in which they were produced, and the role that the museum is playing in the rollout. All in all the exhibition was well curated and the story flowed. Keep up the good work, Orlando Museum of Art.

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