catalog text
“FOWL IN COUNTRYSIDE” BY JOHAN LODEWIJK VAN LEEMPUTTEN (BELGIAN, 1840-1910)
Executed in oil on panel, signed lower right "J.L. Van Leemputten 1868"
Item # 806ZPU24A
An exquisitely painted scene by Jef Louis Van Leemputten (Belgian, 1840-1910), it is a nostalgic and romantic look at Belgian countryside during the period. Bright and vibrant, the piece is carefully detailed and shows beautiful rendering of the birds against the pleasing background. Interesting to Leemputten’s work, equal treatment is shown to the landscape as it is to the fowl, the far distant scene into the horizon showing small patches of forest against larger pastures with homes scattered. His work with light is particularly excellent, using shadows in a highly technical manner to show the differences between the high-chroma pallette of sunlit landscapes against the low saturation pallette of the same colors in shadows; he blends these characteristics of light even within the same bird and it is quite striking. The piece is signed in his standard block script in the lower right J.L. VAN LEEMPUTTEN 1868; this should be distinguished from Jef Louis Van Leemputten, born in 1865 working in the same style. Their works can often be confused from one to the other, but Johan’s emphasis was more on rustic barn scenes, fowl and dramatic light. We may still have the pair to this painting available in the gallery - contact us or browse our shop inventory to see if it remains available.
Measurements: 22 5/8” W x 2” D x 16 5/8” H [frame]; 18 3/4” W x 12 7/8” H [panel]
Condition Report:
Under UV: specks of touch up in the sky, spots of touch up to the centermost trees; inpainting along the upper edge where the frame rubs as well as a bit of the thatched roof edging. Cleaned in the last decade and remaining vibrant and presentation-ready. Housed in a 20th century frame with only minimal wear.