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Under the whispering shadows of Belgian landscapes, on the nondescript dance floor of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, the remarkable life of Eugène Jules Joseph Baron Laermans began on October 22, 1864. A life marked by challenges and perseverance that proves to be a timeless source of inspiration for each of our high quality art prints. Laermans' early childhood battle with meningitis may have robbed him of his ability to hear and, in some cases, speak, but it ignited an unquenchable fire within him to capture the world through his eyes and heart. In this we find the germ of his lifelong passion for painting. He realized that his eyes and hands could play the melodies that his ears could not hear. In 1887, he followed this realization and enrolled at the prestigious Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts. His training under the distinguished Jean Francois Portaels and his enthusiasm for the works of Félicien Rops laid the foundation for his art.
No less formative was the influence of Charles Baudelaire's literary treasures, which led Laermans to join the Decadent movement in 1890 and create illustrations for Baudelaire's book Les Fleurs du mal. This creative period was followed by an artistic turn that led him closer to Bruegel and the depiction of ordinary people - oppressed workers, poor peasants. They were images of such impressive power that they were considered "disturbing caricatures". We can find their traces in the art prints that we reproduce with care and reverence. 1922 marked another turning point in Laermans' life when he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Sciences, Literature and Fine Arts of Belgium. But it was not only triumphs that marked his life. As his eyesight declined, Laermans also withdrew from his beloved painting, declaring "I am no longer Laermans." In a tragic irony, the man who had seen so much of his world through his eyes was finally enveloped in darkness. In Wemmel, an idyllic corner of Belgium, a wall - the "Laermansmuur" - commemorates one of his heroic moments. The story goes that Laermans saved a drowning man during his student days. Today, the whitewashed wall, in its simplicity and elegance, recalls the style found in many of his paintings. Laermans' life and works, to which every art print in our collection bears witness, are a solemn tribute to human endurance, to the irrepressible strength that rests within each and every one of us. They are a reflection of his extraordinary journey and legacy - a story that lives on in each of us, every time we turn to one of his art prints.
Under the whispering shadows of Belgian landscapes, on the nondescript dance floor of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, the remarkable life of Eugène Jules Joseph Baron Laermans began on October 22, 1864. A life marked by challenges and perseverance that proves to be a timeless source of inspiration for each of our high quality art prints. Laermans' early childhood battle with meningitis may have robbed him of his ability to hear and, in some cases, speak, but it ignited an unquenchable fire within him to capture the world through his eyes and heart. In this we find the germ of his lifelong passion for painting. He realized that his eyes and hands could play the melodies that his ears could not hear. In 1887, he followed this realization and enrolled at the prestigious Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts. His training under the distinguished Jean Francois Portaels and his enthusiasm for the works of Félicien Rops laid the foundation for his art.
No less formative was the influence of Charles Baudelaire's literary treasures, which led Laermans to join the Decadent movement in 1890 and create illustrations for Baudelaire's book Les Fleurs du mal. This creative period was followed by an artistic turn that led him closer to Bruegel and the depiction of ordinary people - oppressed workers, poor peasants. They were images of such impressive power that they were considered "disturbing caricatures". We can find their traces in the art prints that we reproduce with care and reverence. 1922 marked another turning point in Laermans' life when he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Sciences, Literature and Fine Arts of Belgium. But it was not only triumphs that marked his life. As his eyesight declined, Laermans also withdrew from his beloved painting, declaring "I am no longer Laermans." In a tragic irony, the man who had seen so much of his world through his eyes was finally enveloped in darkness. In Wemmel, an idyllic corner of Belgium, a wall - the "Laermansmuur" - commemorates one of his heroic moments. The story goes that Laermans saved a drowning man during his student days. Today, the whitewashed wall, in its simplicity and elegance, recalls the style found in many of his paintings. Laermans' life and works, to which every art print in our collection bears witness, are a solemn tribute to human endurance, to the irrepressible strength that rests within each and every one of us. They are a reflection of his extraordinary journey and legacy - a story that lives on in each of us, every time we turn to one of his art prints.