Valerius De Saedeleer (1867-1941), after - Winter in Vlaamse Ardennen - Kwaremont

Kwaremont, Flemish Ardennes.

Artist's proof
'Épreuve d'artiste' (EA) is a French term for a proof print that an artist makes for personal use, separate from the official edition. These copies are created to check the colors, composition, and other aspects of the artwork before the final edition is printed. They are often signed and may be individually numbered, sometimes with Roman numerals. In the art trade, they are sometimes considered more valuable due to their rarity.

Valerius De Saedeleer

Valerius De Saedeleer lived from November 1895 to October 1898 in Lissewege, in a small farm along the Ter Doeststraat. From 1898 to 1908, he lived in Sint-Martens-Latem. The Leiebocht there is the subject of some of his paintings. Afterwards, he moved to Tiegem, where he stayed until the First World War.

De Saedeleer received his first artistic training at the Ghent Academy of Fine Arts from Théodore-Joseph Canneel. He mainly painted the Leie region and the Flemish Ardennes and was one of the key figures of the first group of the Latem School. This movement is also known as 'urban or mystical symbolism.'

Initially, he was influenced by the work of Franz Courtens. It is generally believed that his style changed after his visit in 1902 to an exhibition in Bruges of the Flemish Primitives, which led him to pursue artisanal perfection. The foreground of his landscapes was meticulously detailed, while the expansive sky was depicted without detail. In this way, he distanced himself from Impressionism and painted spirited, almost mystical landscapes, often based on photographs.