Provenance:

Private Collection, Belgium

Description:

Imprisoned during the First World War Langaskens was a printmaker and painter, well known for his works glorifying his compatriots and giving them heroic status even while completing mundane or labour intensive work. His vibrant Art Nouveau and Symbolist style changed very little throughout his life and even his internment did not change this. He was captured by the Germans after only two weeks from the beginning of his War and in painting and drawing his fellow prisoners he gave them a quiet dignity, raising their status beyond the ordinary, but at the same time were very sensitive and personal works. He also painted his two most celebrated paintings during this period. After his liberation, he returned to Belgium and despite some health problems brought on by his long term imprisonment, he produced an impressive catalogue of work and exhibited regularly at various important galleries in Brussels. There is no doubt the War cut short a very promising career in large scale decoration after he had made his name painting the decoration of the town hall in Zoutleeuw in 1912. Even his teacher, Constant Montald, lauded his impressive decorative scheme.

This scene of a young ‘Vendangeuse’ is typical of his subject matter after the War when he began to focus more on daily life and the jobs of his fellow countrymen and women. Some of his finest works show carthorses straining against their heavy loads in the snow and mud. Potentially it was painted as part of a series that were made for etchings such as the similar subject of ‘Le Cerisier’ (fig 1.) depicts an elderly man bent towards the cherry tree branch with his clippers in hand.