Early Life and Artistic Training

Henri Kerels was born on August 8, 1896, in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Belgium. Before his formal training took hold, his hands were accustomed to the work of a shoemaker and the physical demands of a circus acrobat. These early years provided a practical connection to manual labor and movement that would stay with him. He eventually entered the Brussels Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied from 1914 to 1915.

His education continued through a long period at the Académie Libre L'Effort, where he remained a student between 1918 and 1927. This decade of study helped shape his development as a painter and engraver. Beyond the visual arts, he sought out literature courses, spending time studying under Georges Eekhoud to broaden his understanding of written form.

Professional Career and Teaching

Before finding his place in the studios of Brussels, his hands were accustomed to the physical demands of manual labor. As a young man, he spent his time working as a shoemaker and performing as a circus acrobat. These early years of movement and craft provided a foundation of practical skill long before he entered the formal academic world.

His transition into the professional art world was marked by a deep commitment to the technical aspects of printmaking. In 1929, he began a long tenure as an engraving teacher at the Academy of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek. He continued to pass on these specific skills at the Academy of Molenbeek until 1939. His focus on the precision of engraving remained a constant throughout this period of his life.

Beyond the classroom, he engaged with the broader discourse of the era through his writing. He contributed his observations to the journal La Lanterne, working as an art critic. This role allowed him to examine the works of others while maintaining his own presence within the Belgian art community.

Artistic Styles and Subject Matter

Kerels spent much of his career working within the familiar boundaries of figurative art. He focused on the quiet details of daily life, capturing portraits, still lifes, and various genre scenes. His brush often turned toward the natural world, finding subjects in landscapes and the movement of seascapes. There was a steady interest in the human form, which he rendered through figures that occupied his compositions with a sense of presence.

A significant shift occurred following a trip to the Belgian-Congo between 1930 and 1931. This period of travel left a mark on his visual language, leading him to incorporate Congolese figures and landscapes into his work. These subjects provided a new direction for his compositions, moving away from his earlier Belgian settings toward a different set of forms and environments.

As his career progressed, his approach to the canvas underwent a final, unexpected change. Around 1950, he moved away from recognizable subjects entirely. This transition saw him leave behind the figures and landscapes of his earlier years in favor of a non-figurative style. His later work focused on abstraction, characterized by the use of the eruptive stain and the swirling line.

Key Works and Publications

The precision of his hand is often most visible in his graphic works. In 1929, he produced the etching album Les petits Métiers, a collection that focused on the quiet dignity of various trades, such as the shoemaker, the saddler, and the bookbinder. This interest in the mechanics of manual labor continued through his travels. Following a trip to the Belgian Congo, he released the graphic album Brousse in 1932, which captured the landscapes and figures of the region. This was followed by the 1937 publication Arts et métiers congolais, which further explored these themes through his etchings.

His later years saw a shift in both subject and form. In 1944, he published a suite of fifteen etchings titled Campine. As his practice moved toward abstraction, he turned his attention to the technical aspects of his craft, authoring the Manuel de la gravure originale in 1950. His output during this period reflects a transition from the detailed observation of people and places toward a more non-figurative approach to the canvas.

• Les petits Métiers (1929)
• Brousse (1932)
• Arts et métiers congolais (1937)
• Campine (1944)
• Manuel de la gravure originale (1950)

Exhibitions and Recognition

His presence in the Belgian art scene began in earnest with his first exhibition in Brussels in 1924. This early showing marked the start of a career that would eventually move through various circles, from the local academies to the more formal spaces of the capital. His work found its way into the hands of many through a series of postcards featuring African motifs, which were published by the Compagnie Maritime Belge.

As his practice shifted, so did the venues that hosted his work. In 1954, he moved beyond Belgian borders to exhibit in Paris, appearing with Art abstrait and at the Salon des Réalités nouvelles. These exhibitions coincided with a period of significant stylistic change in his output. His final years saw him exhibiting at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels in 1956.