HENRI

See also:

• JEAN

JEAN AUGUSTIN DE

See also:

• HENRI JEAN AUGUSTIN DE BRAEKELEER (184o-1888)

BRAEKELEER (184o-1888)  , Belgian painter, was born at Antwerp . He was trained by his father, a genre painter, and his uncle, Baron Henri Leys, and devoted himself to scenes of everyday Antwerp life . The first pictures he exhibited, "The Laundry" (Van Cutsem collection, Brussels), and " The Coppersmith's Workshop " (Vleeshovwer collection, Antwerp), were shown at the Antwerp exhibition in 1861 . He received the gold medal at Brussels in 1872 for " The Geographer " and " The Lesson " (both in the Brussels gallery); the gold medal at Vienna in 1873 for " The Painter's Studio " and " Grandmother's Birthday "; and the medal of honour at the Exposition Universelle at Amsterdam for " The Pilot House." Among his more notable works are " A Shoemaker " (1862), " A Tailor's Workroom " (1863), " A Gardener " (1864, Antwerp gallery), " Interior of a Church " (1866), " Interior, Flanders " (1867), " Woman spinning " (1869), " Man reading " (1871), " The rue du Serment, Antwerp " (1875), " A Copperplate Printer," " The Sailor's Return," " The Man at the Window " (Couteaux collection, Brussels), `4 The Horn-blower " (Couteaux collection), " Man retouching a Picture " (Couteaux collection), " The Potters " (Marlier collection, Brussels), " Staircase in the Hydraulic House at Antwerp " (Marlier collection), and " The Brewer's House at Antwerp " (Marlier collection) . The last, better known as " A Man sitting," is generally regarded as his masterpiece . As a lithographer and etcher, his work resembles that of Henri Leys . Towards the end of his life de Braekeleer did some dot painting (pointillisme), in which he achieved admirable effects of light .