William Degouve de Nuncques

William de Degouve Nuncques ( born February 28, 1867 in Monthermé, France, † March 1, 1935 in Stavelot, Belgium) was a Belgian landscape painter of French origin and an artist of Belgian Symbolism.

Life

Coming from an old French aristocratic family, his parents settled after the German -French war in Spa and later in Brussels. In 1883 he shared a studio in Machelen with Jan Toorop, whose influence was decisive and in 1891 a portrait of him anfertigte. In 1894 he married Juliette Massin, a sister- Émile Verhaeren, who introduced him to the Symbolists, who also had a considerable influence on his work.

He joined the avant-garde group " Les XX" and later exhibited in the rooms of the artists' association " La Libre Esthetique " from. He traveled widely, including to Italy, Spain, Austria and France. Here he painted his parklands that arose frequently in the dark.

In the years 1900-1902 he and his wife lived in Mallorca, where he painted the rugged coastline and the orange groves. Around 1910, he underwent a religious crisis. His paintings from this period reflect his confusion. During World War II, he lived as a refugee in the Netherlands and it only created smaller works.

In 1919 his wife died and he lost the use of one hand. In 1930 he married his nurse and moved to Stavelot, where he spent his last five years, and snowy landscapes painted.

Work

His work includes mainly landscapes that are bathed in a surreal light ( Cassou, p 64) and About the Symbolism addition, some consider him as a precursor of Surrealism ( Cassou, p 65). His work complements the stage to L' Intérieur by Maurice Maeterlinck. A comprehensive collection of his paintings is in the Kröller- Müller Museum in Otterlo.

Other Works (selection)

• La Maison aveugle, 1893
• Venise la nuit, 1895
• Côte de Deya
• Le Monserrat
• L' Adoration des Mages
• Le Baiser de Judas, 1911
• Les Cintronniers à Majorque, 1902