Emile Claus

Acquired by the family of the present owners circa the mid-20th century; thence by descent

Philadelphia, Exposition belge des Beaux-Arts à Philadelphie, no. 727 (a label on the reverse)
Tokyo, Marunouchi Gallery, 1989, no. 29
Oostende, PMMK Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Emile Claus, 1997, no. 23, illustrated in the catalogue (as Temps orageux)
Helmond, Kunsthal Museum, Constantin Meunier, 2017-18

The canvas has not been lined as is securely attached to a keyed wooden stretcher. There is a pattern of hairline craquelure throughout, notably visible in the sky. However, this is not too distracting and it appears to be stable. There are four spots of paint flaking in the far extreme corners respectively, mostly covered by the frame, and one pin-head sized spot of paint loss in the hay-stack in the lower right quadrant closer to the right edge. Inspection under ultra-violet light reveals some minor cosmetic retouching, including some isolated spots in the sky in the upper right quadrant and to the left of the woman's face, addressing old flaking, and some finely applied in-painting in the craquelure closer to the left edge. Otherwise, this work presents well, is in overall good condition and is ready to hang. Presented in a dark wooden frame with a gilt inner slip and a nameplate.
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The Haymakers exemplifies the Naturalism of Claus' work in the early 1880s, following his studies at the Antwerp Academy. Breaking defiantly with the academic method of his teacher Nicaise de Keyser, Claus wrote 'Je ne sais pas, je ne veux pas peindre les Grecs et Romains', firmly announcing his interest in capturing modern life above all else.  Reflecting the influence of French artists Jules Bastien-Lepage, Léon Lhermitte, and Jules Breton, the present work depicts the life of rural Flanders which inspired Claus throughout his career. Seen in a turning, almost sculptural pose, the girl raking hay marks an early appearance of a type often seen in the artist's work, while the young children taking shelter recall those standing on the riverbank in Un bateau qui passe of 1883.  

It was in the 1880s that Emile Claus established his artistic reputation, both locally and internationally, with a group of large format exhibition paintings. Beginning with Le Combat des coqs (private collection), these included Le vieux jardinier (Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain, Liège), and Le Pique-nique (Royal Collection, Brussels). More intimate in scale, Claus clearly intended the present work to be acquired by a private collector, although an old label on the verso suggests it was sent for an unidentified exhibition of Belgian Art in Philadelphia early in its history. 

The stormy sky in The Haymakers may have been intended as a veiled response to the Belgian artist Charles Verlat's artistically conservative remark against the new vogue for plein-airisme: 'What good is painting out of doors in a country where you can't go out without an overcoat or umbrella nine months out of twelve?' Both painter and farm workers will shortly be forced to take shelter by the unpredictable Flemish weather.