Tony Van Os (1886-1945) - Winter aan de Schelde

• Artist: Tony Van Os (1886 Antwerp – 1945 Temse)
• Work: Scheldt Bend in Winter
• Style: Impressionism
• Period: 1915-1920
• Medium: oil on panel
• Signed: bottom right
• Back: no markings
• Dimensions of the work: 38 cm wide x 30 cm high
• Dimensions incl. frame: 42 cm wide x 34 cm high (behind glass)

The work portrays a bend in the Scheldt during winter. The Scheldt basin between Temse and Antwerp was one of the painter’s favorite sources of inspiration, much like the Leie for the numerous Latem artists. He was sometimes called ‘The man of the riverside.’
The composition of his works is sober. There is almost no color, or only brown and gray. Very striking here is the power of the sunset under the almost black snowy sky. The gold reflects beautifully on the river’s surface. The farm buildings are fairly straight in line, with attention to a few details, notably the green shutters. They are, together with the gate, among the few color touches in the work. Also the bare trees are very finely rendered and pierce the landscape, reaching into the sky. This approach, along with the meandering river and its reflection in the water, creates a deep perspective.

Tony Van Os was a Belgian artist born in 1886 in Antwerp and died in Temse in 1945. He was a painter, drawing master, and illustrator. Born as the seventh son in a large family. His father ran a thriving printing house where, from 1891, the newly established Gazet van Antwerpen newspaper was printed.

Education at the Academy and at the Higher Institute in Antwerp (1901-1909). Student of, among others, Frans Lauwers, Ch. Mertens, P. Verhaert, J. De Vriendt, and F. Courtens. Debuted with landscapes and Scheldt scenes under the influence of F. Courtens and especially E. Laermans.

His landscapes are characterized by the hazy gray of a damp sky and the dull brown of the earth. Overall, his oeuvre exudes a mood of nostalgia. Everything is tuned to a quiet poetic translation, although one can also sense a degree of social engagement in the canvases and figures of fishermen in the Scheldt region. Quietness, even bashfulness, gives his oeuvre a very distinct atmosphere and a sensitive timbre.

Godecharle Prize in 1908. Settled in 1909 at Doel, later Bornem, and definitively in Temse in 1919. Was a member of Pelgrim, a society of visual artists, musicians, and authors aimed at revaluing Christian art in Flanders. Created several Stations of the Cross, including for the Don Boscokerk in Sint-Niklaas (1920), the church of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart in Borgerhout (1930), the church at Halen near Diest (1931), the church of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart in Bree (1932), the church at Koewacht (1937), the church at Opstal/Buggenhout (1941). For the chapel at Westrode, he situates the scenes along the banks of the Scheldt. Work also housed in the museum in Antwerp. Mentioned in BAS I and Two Centuries of Signatures by Belgian Artists. (PIRON)