Jan VAN LOOY ‘Portrait of a Boy’ red chalk drawing on paper, 1911

Jan VAN LOOY (1882-1971).

Red chalk drawing.
Sight size: 17 x 12 cm.
Size with frame: 23.5 x 18.5 cm.
Signed and dated 1911.

Jan Van Looy was a Belgian artist, born in Laeken/Brussels in 1882 and died in Schaerbeek in 1971. He was a painter, draughtsman, watercolorist and graphic artist. He spent his childhood in Laeken, but from the age of fourteen he often lived in Duisburg and Tervuren. By this time, he was already producing numerous sketches in Leefdaal, Vossem, Tervuren and Duisburg. At an early age, he came into contact with Jules Monitgny and other Tervuren masters. He studied at the Brussels Academy under G. Van Strydonck (1897-1900). In the evenings, he went to the free academy La Patte and made friends with, among others, J. Laudy and J. Brouwers. He lived in Ternat and Tervuren. He painted landscapes, river views, portraits, interiors and still lifes. He found his inspiration not only in Brussels and Brabant, but also in the Kempen and the Scheldt. He used a spontaneous, generous brushstroke and a rich palette of colors. During the summer months, he lived and worked in Sint-Idesbald, where he had a studio. Throughout his life, he had great admiration for the Tervuurse and Dendermonde schools. His first solo exhibition took place at Galerie Intérieur in Brussels. He worked mainly with landscapes from Tervuren, Ternat and the Campine and inner Campine.
His work can be found in museums in Ghent, Brussels, Mechelen and Tournai, among others.
Jan Van Looy is listed in BAS I and Deux siècles de signatures d'artistes belges (Piron).