Paul Jozef de Cock (1724 – 1801): Bridging Neoclassicism and Romantic Sentiment Paul Jozef de Cock, born in Bruges on June 21st, 1724, was a Flemish architect and painter whose artistic journey spanned the late Baroque and early neoclassical eras, culminating in a profound embrace of Romantic sensibilities. His formative years were marked by exposure to the intellectual currents of his time—the Enlightenment—and crucially, by tutelage under Matthijs de Visch at Bruges’ Academie voor Schone Kunsten, where he honed foundational skills in drawing and artistic observation. This early training in…