Paul MATHIEU "The Meuse at Namur with the Jambes Bridge and the Citadel", oil on canvas

Paul Mathieu trained at the drawing school in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode and with J. Meyer. In his youth, he sought inspiration in the Soignes forest. In 1893, he was a founder member of Le Sillon, where he worked side by side with the painter Alfred Bastien6. From 1896, he abandoned still life painting to become a landscape painter. He was a late Belgian representative of Impressionism. Paul Mathieu appreciated pearly light, clarity and refined colours. His subjects were initially landscapes of Flanders, Brabant, the Kempen and the Belgian coast. From the First World War onwards, having left Belgium to live in Paris, he enjoyed depicting the landscapes of the Île-de-France and Provence6. As a result, he gained great renown in France, where he was awarded the Légion d'honneur in 1923. He taught at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels from 1896 to 1932. In 1932, he was appointed vice-president of the Société royale des beaux-arts de Belgique. His eclectic-style house at 172 rue Américaine in Ixelles was built in 1905 to plans by architect Émile Lambot. His works can be found in most of Europe's museums. source Wikipedia.