Gustave De Smet Facts for Kids

Gustave De Smet (c.1920)

Gustave Franciscus De Smet (born January 21, 1877 – died October 8, 1943) was a famous Belgian painter. He was one of the main artists who started a style called Flemish Expressionism. His friends Constant Permeke and Frits Van den Berghe also helped create this art movement. Gustave's younger brother, Léon De Smet [fr], was also a painter.

Gustave De Smet's Life Story
Selected Paintings
Where to See His Art
See also

Gustave De Smet's Life Story

Early Life and Art School

Gustave was born in Ghent, a city in Belgium. His father, Jules, worked as a set decorator and a photographer. Both Gustave and his brother Léon started learning art in their father's studio. Later, they went to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. There, they studied art with a teacher named Jean Delvin. Unlike his brother Léon, Gustave was not considered a very good student at the academy.

Moving and Changing Art Styles

In 1908, Gustave and his wife moved to an artists' village in Sint-Martens-Latem. They followed Léon, who was already living there. At first, they were influenced by a style called Luminism. This style used bright, clear colors, much like the painter Emile Claus, who lived nearby.

When World War I began, Gustave and his family had to leave Belgium. They went to the Netherlands with their friend Van den Berghe. From 1914 to 1922, they moved around a lot. They visited and stayed in art communities in Amsterdam, Laren, and Blaricum. During this time, Gustave met an Expressionist painter named Henri Le Fauconnier. This meeting was a big moment for Gustave. It changed his painting style, which had been influenced by Cubism before.

Returning to Belgium

Gustave returned to Belgium in 1922. He continued to move often, usually with his friends Van den Berghe and Permeke. They lived in Ostend, then in Bachte-Maria-Leerne, and later in Afsnee. In Afsnee, Gustave lived in a house given to him by Paul-Gustave van Hecke, an art supporter. Finally, in 1927, Gustave settled down in Deurle.

In Deurle, Gustave's unique mix of Expressionism and Cubism reached its best. He painted many scenes of circuses, fairs, and village life. Gustave De Smet passed away in Deurle when he was sixty-six years old. His house was later kept as a local museum to remember his work.