Valerius de Saedeleer (1867-1942)

Two events were of great importance for the work of Valerius de Saedeleer. He’s deeply impressed by an exhibition in 1902 of the Flemish Primitives in Bruges. It will influence his vision on landscapes permanently. He distances himself from impressionistic painting. The display of light effects makes way for the search for balance between composition and colour. At the same time he starts to yearn for monumental greatness. His colours become more sober, but the work keeps a strange, veiling lightness. The influence of impressionism is apparent in his preference to paint nature at certain lighting at a specific time of day. He prefers the effects of the late evening light, the setting sun. Needless detail is being left out and the whole picture often has a dreamy, stilled and melancholic quality to it.

The second event that was of great importance was his conversion to Catholicism in 1903. After a period of great restlessness, De Saedeleer finds peace. It is this inner peace that he tries to translate onto the canvas. From 1903 his work breathes the spirit of contemplation and repentance. Reality gets an extra dimension as it were. His changes in style are well received and the appreciation for his work grows after 1906

De Groote Perelaar te Tieghem has all the characteristics mentioned above and breathes the same atmosphere as Breugel’s winter landscapes, like Jagers in de sneeuw (Hunters in the Snow) from 1565. The snow-covered landscape urges repentance and banishes feelings of unrest and agitation. Snow hides and covers the superfluous. The physical nature disappears under a layer of snow, which spiritualises the work. The painting pulls the beholder into depth, in spite of a certain stylisation. The warm earth colours that are painted in thin, smooth layers give the work unity and an aura of timeless rest.