Early Life, Family and Training
Lucien Wolles was born in Schaerbeek on 31 March 1862. He grew up in a household where art was a shared language, being the older brother of the painter Camille Wollès. His early years in Belgium set the stage for a life spent working with line and pigment, whether through painting, drawing, or lithography.
His formal training began at the Académie royale des beaux-arts de Bruxelles, where he studied under Antoine Van Hammée from 1873 to 1877. The studio was a gathering place for many young talents of the era. During these years, he shared the space with James Ensor, Fernand Khnopff, Willy Finch, Léon Houyoux, Adolphe Crespin, and Darío de Regoyos. These years in Brussels provided the foundation for his technical development.
Seeking to broaden his perspective, he moved beyond the Belgian academies. He spent time studying at the Académie de Düsseldorf and also worked in the private studio of Ernest Blanc-Garin. These varied environments helped shape his approach to the visual arts before he established his own practice.
Key Works and Subjects
Wolles focused much of his practice on the faces of the people around him. He spent much of his time capturing the likenesses of Belgian and Brussels personalities, including Émile Verhaeren and Henry Stacquet. These portraits often moved beyond simple likeness to serve as illustrations for books. One such instance is his portrait of Willy Coppens, which appears in the book Feuilles volantes, a work written by Coppens himself.
His brushwork often settled on the intimate details of those closest to him. He painted a portrait of his wife, Mathilde Mardner, in oil. Other works from his career include Interned Amersfoort, which dates to about 1917. His approach remained rooted in a realistic style, looking closely at the subjects that defined his social and personal circles in Brussels and Uccle.
