Charles Ernest Smets “Oasis of Tinghir Morocco“ orientalist impressionist painting, oil on canvas, ca 1940

Charles Ernest Smets, oil on canvas mounted on panel, ca 1940.

The work is framed under old glass, making it difficult to take accurate photos; some reflections and camera flash remain visible on the images, our apologies.

This painting depicts a lively Orientalist scene of the Tinghir oasis in Morocco. In the shade of palm trees, figures dressed in djellabas and haiks gather along a watercourse, in a light-filled, sunlit atmosphere. The colorful reflections on the water reveal a distinctly impressionistic approach, where broad, vibrant brushstrokes prioritize light and mood over fine detail.

Biography:

Charles Ernest Smets (1909 - ca. 1987) was a Belgian painter, draftsman, and engraver. Trained in the academic tradition, he quickly focused on landscape and genre painting. His travels in North Africa, particularly Morocco, had a profound influence on his work.

Smets follows the line of 20th-century Belgian Orientalist painters but with a freer, more impressionistic approach: he emphasizes light, color, and the spontaneity of everyday scenes. His favorite subjects include markets, streets, oases, and local ceremonies. His work sits at the crossroads between the perspective of the European traveler fascinated by the Orient and a pictorial exploration of light and modernity of his time. His works regularly appear in auctions in Belgium and France, often under the titles Moroccan Scenes or Southern Landscapes.

The Orientalist movement, which emerged in the 19th century with European artists traveling to the Maghreb and the Middle East, finds continuation here in the 20th century. Faithful to this tradition, Charles Ernest Smets captures both the picturesque and the humanity of daily Moroccan life: moments of rest, rituals, and intimate scenes integrated into natural settings. Such representations appealed to European travelers and collectors fascinated by exoticism and southern landscapes.