Evariste Carpentier | Love is in the air

Évariste Carpentier, (1845 in Kuurne - 1922 in Liège), was a Belgian painter of Genre scenes and animated landscapes. Over the years, his painting evolved from the academic art to Impressionism. He is, alongside Emile Claus, one of the earliest representatives of Luminism in Belgium.

Evariste Carpentier was a pupil at the Antwerp Academy. He lived in Paris from 1879 till 1886. The talent and personality of the artist never ceased to develop. After having painted religious subjects and a large number of Vendée scenes, he sought in rustic life and the open air those choice subjects which can only be tackled by artists who have the talent to take on the difficulty of painting the human figure in bright sunshine, in the green countryside, and beneath the ever beautiful, harmonious Flemish sky. Carpentier taught at the Liège Academy and was its director until his death. His "Mrs Roland at Sainte-Pélagie" was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1886 and his Farniente, Souvenir of Flanders at the Salon of 1887.

During his life, Carpentier achieved a great success. Throughout his career, he won many prizes and awards at international exhibitions, both in Europe and in the United States, receiving the golden medals at Antwerp, Munich and Berlin for Summer sun (1896), Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Nice. His work was practically forgotten shortly after his death. However, it was rediscovered towards the end of the twentieth century. The importance of his work is now recognised for his contribution as a teacher in the Academy of Liège, where he taught a new way of painting, as well as for the whole of his work as an essential link in the development of modern Belgian painting.

Évariste Carpentier (Kuurne, 2 dicembre 1845 - Liegi, 12 settembre 1922) è stato un pittore Belga. Dipinse scene storiche, di genere e paesaggi. Passò dall'accademismo iniziale al naturalismo, per poi approdare al luminismo impressionista. Fu professore e poi Direttore dell'Accademia di Belle Arti di Liegi.

Carpentier godette in vita di un vasto successo. Nel corso della sua carriera ricevette numerosi riconoscimenti e premi nelle mostre internazionali europee e statunitensi (Chicago, Filadelfia, etc.), fra cui le medaglie d'oro ad Anversa, Monaco di Baviera, Berlino ("Sole d'estate" del 1896), Parigi, Amsterdam, Barcellona e Nizza.

Dopo la morte Carpentier fu completamente dimenticato e la sua opera è stata riscoperta tardivamente negli ultimi anni del XX secolo. Solo adesso ci si rende conto pienamente dell'importanza di questo artista, non solo perché professore all'Accademia di Liegi, da dove diede il via ad un nuovo modo di dipingere nella "Città ardente", ma soprattutto per l'insieme delle sue opere, che costituisce l'anello essenziale nel processo di fioritura e di sviluppo della pittura moderna in Belgio.