Framed Still Life Oil Painting on Canvas by Jozef Callaerts (1896-1965)
2603-26438 (Click to Inquire About This Item)
33H x 30.5W x 2D
Location: Dallas
A beautifully painted floral still life by Belgian artist Jos Callaerts (1896–1965), depicting an abundant bouquet of lilacs, tulips, narcissi and spring flowers gathered in a simple rounded vase. Signed “Callaerts Jos” at the lower right, the oil on canvas has a wonderfully rich palette of soft pinks, creamy whites, yellow and deep red set against muted greens and earthy tones.
Callaerts handled the flowers with confident, expressive brushwork, giving the bouquet fullness and life without losing the delicacy of the individual blossoms. The lilacs and narcissi are especially beautifully painted, and the strong red tulips bring just enough contrast to enliven the composition. The subdued background gives the flowers prominence and adds to the quiet European character of the painting.
Jozef Adriaan “Jos” Callaerts was born in Lier, Belgium, in 1896 and studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where his education included architecture, painting and figure drawing. After the First World War, he worked in Armentières, France, during the reconstruction of its historic center and continued his artistic studies in Lille. He later returned to Belgium and studied again at the Antwerp Academy, where Isidore Opsomer became an important influence.
Although Callaerts worked professionally as an architect, interior architect and surveyor, painting remained an important part of his life. His subjects included portraits, landscapes, interiors, city and harbor scenes and floral still lifes. His first solo exhibition was held in Lier in 1952, followed by a retrospective there in 1967, two years after his death.
The painting is presented in a carved Louis XV-style frame with painted and parcel-gilt decoration, a particularly appropriate complement to the soft color and period character of the work.
Circa 1940s
Measures 33H x 30.5W x 2D
Available at Inessa Stewarts Antiques Dallas Design District Showroom in Dallas Texas
