Emile Claus and His Impressionist Masterpieces

I was originally going to feature just one painting by Emile Claus, Zonnegloed (shown below), but I came across so many other wonderful paintings that I had to expand my scope.

Claus was a Belgian painter known for his bright colors and impressionist style. His work is similar to that of Claude Monet, though many of his paintings are a touch more finely rendered.

Below are some of my favorites and my brief observations.

Zonnegloed

This is the perfect demonstration of narrowing down on the essence of the subject and really pushing in that direction. Look at how his strokes radiate out from the sun and how he only reserved a tiny amount of space for the land at the bottom, allowing the sky to dominate.

(Fun fact: Zonnegloed means “Sun Glow” in Dutch. What a great name for a painting!)

Ampelio, Old Fisherman of Bordighera

What an interesting composition. Notice how Claus was able to capture the fisherman’s tired expression and weathered face without using fine rendering and blending. And look at all that rich color in the shadows. It reminds me of Joaquín Sorolla’s beach paintings.

The Flower Garden in May

A colorful and busy landscape. Claus did well to paint the landscape with a sense of organisation and structure without making it appear tight and overworked. In particular, notice the distinct light and dark shapes.

Children in a Landscape

This is a wonderful blend of different styles. The landscape is more impressionistic, whereas the children lean more towards realism. I won’t overanalyse; it just works.

Haystack

I mentioned earlier that Claus painted in a similar style to Monet. He also painted similar subjects. Below is Claus’s take on the humble haystack, which Monet painted a whole series on.

Landscape with Pond and Blooms

This appears to depict early morning or late afternoon, with the soft glow of the sun low on the horizon line. There’s a beautiful play between warm and cool colors, with the pale oranges and yellows of the distant trees and the cool, saturated greens in the foreground. The cows grazing on the other side of the pond are a nice touch. You’ll see cows featured in many of Claus’s paintings, often in more prominent roles.

Study for Le Bateau Qui Passe

One of Claus’s more restrained paintings. Three children stare off into the distance. A powerful image. Value contrast does all the work here, with the dark colors and hard edges of the children creating a sharp contrast against the light background.

View of Murano, Venice

I chose this one for two reasons: First, the subtle color variance and gradation of the sky. It goes from blues at the top, to blue-greens, to greens, to green-yellows, to warm grays. This is a great example of using color and brushwork to inject life and energy into a quiet subject. Second, the shimmering, broken color of the water. Notice how the blues of the water are woven in with the reflected colors of the sky and land. There’s also a sense of movement and flow with the directional brushwork.

Waterloo Bridge, London

Claus made clever use of temperature and value contrast to make the sun really “pop”. The compressed value range gives the painting a softer and more ambient feel (notice how the darks are not that dark).

Girls in the Field

This one was done in pastel. You can tell by that distinct, dry finish and the soft colors. The sharp highlights play an important role in defining the girls and adding realism. It’s interesting how the girls are slightly vague and in shadow at the front, while the surrounding landscape glows in sunlight. The girls are the focal point, yet they are somewhat understated and ambiguous.

Banks of the River Lys

I love the play between the light and dark colors with this one and how Claus wove them together. There are so many interesting patterns and shapes created by the overlapping trees and the reflections on the water. And look at how simple the sky is. Just a few strokes of blue, gray, and white and our eyes do the rest of the work.

Want to Learn More?

If you ever want to learn more, make sure to check out our 30-Day Creativity Kickstart. We have rolled back the price and added bonuses for the next few days.