Carlos De Haes

CARLOS DE HAES (Brussels, 1829 - Madrid, 1898).
"Mountain landscape with river and figures".
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Size: 62 x 92 cm; 86 x 118 cm (frame).
The landscape painting of Carlos De Haes reached high plastic quotas, as it is appreciated in this painting of panoramic composition. Sublime massifs are silhouetted in the distance, framing a lake scene in which the two figures with their backs to us are dwarfed by the magnificence of the landscape. Tight brushstrokes to depict the foliage with the utmost verism are combined with loose brushstrokes to capture the atmosphere, while the reflective surface of the water is rendered with accomplished glazes.
The Haes family moved from Brussels to Spain in 1835, specifically to Malaga, where Carlos began his training as a pupil of Luis de la Cruz. In 1850 he decided to continue his studies in his native land, learning from the great Flemish landscape painters. At the same time he came into contact with contemporary Belgian artists who exhibited regularly at the Brussels Salons. Once there he worked with the landscape painter Joseph Quinaux, who introduced him to plein air painting, a key to the formation of his artistic personality. On his return to Spain Haes began to reap success, such as the third medal at the National Exhibition of 1856. The following year he was appointed professor of landscape painting at the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts, a position from which he trained a whole generation of landscape painters in the practice of realist plein air painting. His pupils were Aureliano Beruete and Darío de Regoyos. During his artistic career he continued to win prizes, such as the first medal at the National Exhibition of 1858. In 1860 he was appointed a member of the San Fernando Academy, the same year he won another first medal at the National Exhibition. Nevertheless, he cannot be considered a follower of Plenilism, as he was in favour of working only from life on sketches, while he considered that the painting should be finished in the classical manner, in the studio. Nevertheless, he introduced landscape painting into Spanish painting, to the extent that the first chair of landscape painting at the San Fernando Academy was created for him. His views are composed in the classical manner, albeit with a predominance of the earth over the sky, which normally occupies a third of the canvas. Haes considered landscape to be a genre for connoisseurs, as it is difficult to treat and understand. He argued that the aim of art was the truth to be found in the faithful imitation of nature, for which the painter had to have a profound knowledge of nature and not allow himself to be carried away by his imagination. This is why he preferred to finish his works in the studio, in order to capture the concrete moment, since nature itself is constantly changing. Artistic genius lies not only in technique, but in the painter's own personal way of contemplating nature. Most of Carlos de Haes's work is in the Prado Museum, although he is also represented in the Fine Arts Museums of Bilbao, Malaga, Valencia and Lleida, in the Jaime Moreda Foundation and in the National Gallery in London.