Henri De Cocker (1908-1978) - Boeren op terugweg van het veld

Beautiful expressionist painting by the renowned Belgian artist Henri De Cocker (1908-1978).
Oil on hardboard.
Very good condition.
Framed; the frame has damage (see detail photos).
Signed.
Dimensions
with frame 79 x 67 cm
without frame 59 x 49 cm

Henri De Cocker (Vurste, 15 September 1908 – Ghent, 2 November 1978) was a Flemish painter.
In 1934 he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. He then studied at the National Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Antwerp.
In 1942 he held his first exhibition at Pan Hall in Ghent. Until 1948 he painted in an expressionist style. Staying in Paris in 1948 and later brought a turning point toward a lighter period that lasted until 1952. A trip through Spain in 1953 resulted in a series of works with surreal and sometimes poetic overtones. There followed an abstract period: cubism, collages, Madonnas and blotched compositions, Tachism — here too he evolved from dark to lighter. In 1960 he won the Art Critics’ Prize with his exhibition of abstract works at the gallery “Le Zodiaque” in Brussels. From 1963 he drew inspiration again from rural life and again became the expressionist of the landscape. From 1970 he produced Fauvist works.

In 1978 he died when he was hit by a truck while cycling.