Willy Schlobach
1864-1951 | Belgian

Les falaises
(The Cliffs)

Oil on canvas
Signed with artist’s monogram “W.S.” (lower right)

This coastal landscape showcases the bold palette and distinctive technique of Belgian painter Willy Schlobach. The artist takes the viewer to the edge of a scenic cliff, the expansive vista vibrant beneath a clouded sky. Building a remarkable impasto with his neo-Impressionist technique, Schlobach weaves strokes of bold blues, violets, yellows and greens to create the crashing waves of the sea. His striking composition and frenetic brushstrokes recall a windswept day along the coast.

Born in Brussels, Willy Schlobach began his artistic studies at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Brussels before later studies in Ghent, a trajectory that marked the onset of a remarkable career in Belgian painting. Remarkably precocious, Schlobach established himself at the age of 19 as a prominent figure among Belgian painters, forming close connections with luminaries such as Émile Verhaeren and Théo van Rysselberghe. The latter, a pivotal member of the avant-garde group Les XX, played a crucial role in shaping Schlobach's artistic sensibilities. Under the influential guidance of Van Rysselberghe, who had garnered insights from the Neo-Impressionist techniques of Seurat and Signac during his sojourn in Paris, Schlobach enthusiastically embraced these novel ideas. The 1880s saw the emergence of well-structured and meticulously organized pointillist works by Schlobach, who Seurat named the "Belgian Divisionist," with coastal scenes serving as his favored subject matter. Les falaises stands as a shining example of his oeuvre, which today is housed in museum collections worldwide, including the Musée des Beaux Arts in Brussels, the Flemish Art Collection and the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Dated 1907

Canvas: 29 1/8“ high x 36 1/4” wide
Frame: 36“ high x 44 1/8” wide x 3 1/2“ deep

Provenance:
Private collection, Switzerland
Private collection, London
M.S. Rau, New Orleans

2.26 Set Sail

Les falaises by Willy Schlobach

Ocean Waves Vase by Camille Fauré