生活

埃米尔老人出生于1849年9月27日,Sint-Eloois-Vijve村西佛兰德 (比利时),在河岸赖氨酸。埃米尔是十三的第十二个孩子在一个家庭。父亲亚历山大grocer-publican镇议会议员和一些时间。母亲塞莱斯廷Verbauwhede来自布拉班特船长的家人和双手满她的后代。

作为一个孩子,埃米尔已经爱画,周日走了三公里步行到学院Waregem(邻近的小镇),学习如何画画。他毕业于学院的金牌。尽管父亲老人让他画类,他没有花哨的艺术家的生涯为他儿子。相反,他把埃米尔·贝克的学徒里尔(法国)。埃米尔学法语,但贝克的工作显然不吸引他。他也工作了一段时间的比利时铁路和代表亚麻贸易。

研究

油漆不放手的冲动埃米尔和他写了一封信给帮助著名的作曲家和音乐家彼得Benoit,住在附近Harelbeke家庭的,偶尔的游客。只有一些努力,彼得Benoit设法说服父亲老人让他的儿子在训练安特卫普美术学院。老人有自己支付他的研究。毕业后,他呆住安特卫普.

1883年老人搬到小屋Zonneschijn(“阳光”)Astene附近的Deinze (东佛兰德,比利时),住在那里,直到他的死亡。从他的客厅,他享受着美丽的景色过河去利斯河。国家空间和光线的房子显然启发了他。

在艺术上,老人很快就发了大财。作为一个名人,他成为了一个朋友的家庭与其他在法国雕塑家奥古斯特·罗丹和博物学家埃米尔·左拉和比利时的小说家和诗人Cyriel Buysse,埃米尔Verhaeren,波尔德蒙特和莫里斯·梅特林克。他游历世界参加展览他的作品。

一个重要的人在埃米尔老人的生活是画家珍妮Montigny。她跟着他在Astene车间和大师班多年来在根特和Astene之间来回旅行。虽然老人是比她大26岁,他们开始一段关系将持续到老人的死亡。

第一次世界大战打断了老人的国际成功。他逃到伦敦,在那里,他发现了一个房子,在河岸车间泰晤士河。他在1918年返回。

Life

Emile Claus was born on 27 September 1849, in Sint-Eloois-Vijve, a village in West-Flanders (Belgium), at the banks of the river Lys. Emile was the twelfth child in a family of thirteen. Father Alexander was a grocer-publican and for some time town councillor. Mother Celestine Verbauwhede came from a Brabant skipper’s family and had her hands full with her offspring.

As a child, Emile already loved drawing and on Sunday went three kilometres on foot to the Academy of Waregem (the neighbouring town) to learn how to draw. He graduated from the Academy with a gold medal. Although father Claus allowed him to take drawing classes, he did not fancy an artist's career for his son. Instead, he sent Emile as a baker’s apprentice to Lille (France). Emile learned French there but the job of a baker clearly did not appeal to him. He also worked for some time with the Belgian Railways and as a representative in the flax trade.

Studies

The urge to paint did not let go of Emile and he wrote a letter for help to the famous composer and musician Peter Benoit, who live in nearby Harelbeke and was an occasional visitor of the family. Only with some effort, Peter Benoit managed to convince father Claus to allow his son to train at the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts. Claus did have to pay for his studies himself though. After graduating, he stayed to live in Antwerp.

In 1883 Claus moved to cottage Zonneschijn ('Sunshine') in Astene, near Deinze (East-Flanders,Belgium), where he stayed until his death. From his living room, he enjoyed a beautiful view across the river Lys. The space and light of the country house clearly inspired him.

Artistically, Claus soon prospered. As a celebrity, he became a friend of the family with amongst others the French sculptor Auguste Rodin and the naturalist Émile Zola, and with the Belgian novelists and poets Cyriel Buysse, Emile Verhaeren, Pol de Mont and Maurice Maeterlinck. He travelled around the world to attend exhibitions of his work.

An important person in the life of Emile Claus was the painter Jenny Montigny. She followed master classes at his workshop in Astene and for years travelled back and forth between Ghent and Astene. Although Claus was 26 years older than she was, they began a relationship that would last until Claus' death.

The First World War interrupted Claus’ international success. He fled to London where he found a house and workshop at the banks of the river Thames. He returned in 1918.