Henry de Groux
Encyclopedia
Henry de Groux was a Belgian Symbolist
painter
, sculptor
and lithographer. His 1889 painting Christ aux Outrages, widely described as his masterwork, depicted Jesus
being attacked by a mob. Later in life, he produced many works depicting the horrors of the First World War.
De Groux was the son of the engraver Charles de Groux and, like his father, trained at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts
. Henry was elected a member of les XX
in 1886, but was expelled in 1890 when he refused to have his works displayed in the same gallery as Vincent van Gogh
. He subsequently moved to Paris
, where he befriended Emile Zola
; during the social unrest resulting from the Dreyfus affair
, de Groux acted as one of Zola's bodyguard
s.
As well, de Groux was a fervent diarist; beginning in 1892, he produced 18 volumes detailing the life of a European artist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 2002, his descendants donated these volumes to the Institut national d'histoire de l'art; selected excerpts were published in 2007
Henry de Groux 1866-1930 - journal - Henry De Groux, Rodolphe Rapetti, Pierre Wat - Editions Kimé at www.dessinoriginal.com.
's download-only song "Pass It Along (MP3 Mix)" is jokingly tagged as being from the nonexistent album, "The Paintings of Henry de Groux".
Symbolism (arts)
Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French, Russian and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the style had its beginnings with the publication Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
and lithographer. His 1889 painting Christ aux Outrages, widely described as his masterwork, depicted Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
being attacked by a mob. Later in life, he produced many works depicting the horrors of the First World War.
De Groux was the son of the engraver Charles de Groux and, like his father, trained at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts
Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts
The Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels is an art school, founded in 1711.The faculty and alumni of ARBA include some of the most famous names in Belgian painting, sculpture, and architecture: James Ensor, Rene Magritte, and Paul Delvaux...
. Henry was elected a member of les XX
Les XX
Les XX was a group of twenty Belgian painters, designers and sculptors, formed in 1883 by the Brussels lawyer, publisher, and entrepreneur Octave Maus. For ten years 'Les Vingt' , as they called themselves, held an annual exhibition of their art; each year twenty international artists were also...
in 1886, but was expelled in 1890 when he refused to have his works displayed in the same gallery as Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
. He subsequently moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he befriended Emile Zola
Émile Zola
Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
; during the social unrest resulting from the Dreyfus affair
Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal that divided France in the 1890s and the early 1900s. It involved the conviction for treason in November 1894 of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian Jewish descent...
, de Groux acted as one of Zola's bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
s.
As well, de Groux was a fervent diarist; beginning in 1892, he produced 18 volumes detailing the life of a European artist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 2002, his descendants donated these volumes to the Institut national d'histoire de l'art; selected excerpts were published in 2007
Henry de Groux 1866-1930 - journal - Henry De Groux, Rodolphe Rapetti, Pierre Wat - Editions Kimé at www.dessinoriginal.com.
Trivia
ChumbawambaChumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
's download-only song "Pass It Along (MP3 Mix)" is jokingly tagged as being from the nonexistent album, "The Paintings of Henry de Groux".