A Life in Belgium and Beyond
Arie Van der Giessen lived his life between the quiet corners of Ghent and Brussels. Born on 3 May 1896, he moved through the landscape of the early twentieth century with a brush in hand. His work carries the weight of a Belgian-Dutch identity, rooted in the textures of his surroundings. He shared much of his creative path with his wife, Raymonde Thÿs, and together they presented their work to the public, notably during a joint exhibition at the University of Pretoria in 1949.
The years he spent painting were marked by a steady presence in the local art scene. He passed away in Brussels on 19 February 1950, leaving behind works that remain in collections such as the Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent and the University of Pretoria Museums. His life was not one of loud declarations, but of recorded moments captured on paper and canvas.
The Marks of a Painter
His approach to the medium often leaned toward the delicate. In 1937, he produced Luke 2 verse 35, a watercolor that speaks to a specific, quiet intensity. The piece uses the biblical imagery of a sword piercing the soul to explore internal depths. It is a work that requires a close look at how the pigment settles into the grain of the paper.
Other works show him engaging with different subjects and materials:
- Bateau de pêche sur la plage: A painting that has appeared in Brussels auctions, showing his interest in coastal scenes.
- Zelfportret: A self-portrait held within the Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, where he turned the lens of his own observation upon himself.
He worked within the tradition of modern Flemish artists. This period allowed him to explore the interplay of light and form without needing to depart from the recognizable world. His paintings and works on paper have been met at auction with modest prices, reflecting a career focused more on the act of painting than on the pursuit of high-market fame.
