Pair 19th Century Framed Oil Paintings on Panel by Paul Schouten (1860-1922)

Pair 19th Century Framed Oil Paintings on Panel by Paul Schouten (1860-1922) are a timeless depiction of rural life in a bygone era, captured by one of the most celebrated artists from Belgium, who was also quite prolific.  Each canvas survives with its original finely detailed frame making the pair all the more alluring.  One scene is a placid canal passing by a quaint country cottage with a young lad in the foreground poling his way across the water.  The other depicts a young maiden carrying water buckets over her shoulders along a country path, with a couple of charming thatch-roofed structures in the immediate background.  Both works show a lush undergrowth and canopy of leafy trees providing a framework for the compositions.  In the painting with the lad in a boat, one can also see the outlines of a small village and windmill in the distant background.  Schouten was extraordinarily adept at capturing the moment in time, preserving the rustic heritage of the region, and providing a glimpse of life in the country during the period for all to appreciate.
Paul Schouten amassed a significant body of work over his career, but is best known for painting farmyard scenes focusing on animals, as well as general rural life scenes.  He painted primarily in Belgium but also in France, and came from a family of talented artists.  His work shows particular attention to texture and the application of colors to exude realism while retaining a hint of impressionistic verve.  Finding pairs of his work in their original frames is quite uncommon!
Circa 1890s
Each measures 23.5H x 31W x 2D