Footnotes

• PROVENANCE
  Acquired in Belguim (before 1962).
  Thence by descent to the present owner.
  
  This work will be included in the forthcoming Albert Saverys monograph being prepared by Drs. Peter J.H. Pauwels.
  
  This landscape depicts flooding on the River Lys in Belgium, probably in the neighbourhood of Sint-Maartens-Latem between the cities of Deinze and Ghent. The Lys was a great source of inspiration for Flemish artists in the later nineteenth and early twentieth century, with figures such as George Minne, Léon and Gustave de Smet, Theo van Rysselberghe and Constant Permeke spending much time in the neighbourhood. Its landscapes were refracted through their various approaches to painting, and they were inspired, among other stimuli, by the quality of the light, a desire to return to Nature and an associated impulse to return to the apparent simplicity of the Flemish Primitives. Many of these artists were drawn to the village of Sint-Maartens-Latem which gave its name to their evolving style. Albert Saverys lived for many years in a villa overlooking the river. During the winter months the river floods regularly, and the expanse of floodwater then reflects the enormity of the Flemish skies and provides a magical sight which became a favoured subject throughout his career.

Auction Notices

• Please not the following additional provenance: Anon. Sale, Georges Giroux, Brussels, 12 March 1960, lot 377, and thence by descent to the present owner.

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Category: Fine Art / Impressionist and Modern Art

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