Amédée Degreefartist • painterOudergem (België) 1878-1968 Elsene (België)

Amédée Degreef, son of the landscape painter Jean Degreef, was a painter of the Sonian Forest and the Brabant landscape, the Scheldt, the North Sea and the flat Belgian countryside. He also painted interiors, still lifes and portraits. Initially he studied music, then became a decorator and finally attended the Brussels Academy. Around 1900 he became a member of Le Sillon, which also included the painters Frans Smeers and Alfred Bastien. These 'Sillonnists' reacted to the neo-impressionism that had become a meaningless routine in Belgium and opted for a return to a more realistic style of painting in a sombre palette. However, Degreef gradually opted for the light colours and the outdoor painting of the Luminists. A true portraitist of nature, he painted the fine nuances of the (sun)light in spontaneous brushstrokes and rich colours.