On the banks of the Meuse near Waulsort by François Roffiaen (1820-1898)

On the banks of the Meuse, near Waulsort (before the canalization of the Meuse)
Signed lower right

François Roffiaen (1820-1898): A Life in Brushstrokes

His kin, born from humble soil on his father's side—men toiling in fields, as masons, tavern keepers, or saddlers; women wielding needles or crafting lace.

François Roffiaen, at a tender three, for reasons veiled, found refuge with his paternal uncle, Joseph-Louis-Augustin, a purveyor of books in Namur. There, in the town that cradled his existence, he thrived, marking what he'd later recall as "the prime of his days." The Athénée and the Academy of Painting (1835-1839), under the tutelage of Ferninand Marinus (1808-1890), held his formative years. Among comrades were Louis Bonet (1822-1894), Jean-Baptiste Kindermans (1821-1876), and Joseph Quinaux (1822-1895).

Furthering his artistry at the Brussels Academy (1839-1842), he imbibed the essence of perspective from the venerable védutist François Bossuet (1789-1889), a maestro of landscapes and urban vistas. The atelier of Pierre-Louis Kühnen (1812-1877), a romantic landscape painter from Aachen, was his next station. Ypres bestowed upon him a grant of 600 francs (1841-1845 or 1846), while he shared the wisdom of drawing at Dinant College.

Enthralled by Alexandre Calame's (1810-1864) Salon masterpieces, Roffiaen secured a scholarship, a pilgrimage to Geneva in the autumn of 1846. Six months in the shadow of the master preceded his revelation of mountainous canvases. Yet, he found equal allure in the picturesque Meuse and Ourthe valleys, the Scottish lochs unveiled in 1862, and the vast Limburg heather expanses.

Grouped with the romantics, Roffiaen's canvases, especially the monumental, achieved hyperrealism—almost photographic. Some critics, however, favored the more modest "studies," noting a touch more sensitive and less polished.

From his Brussels Academy days, where he honed his craft (1839-42), to the creation of sublime alpine landscapes before joining Alexandre Calame, his oeuvre graced international exhibitions. Commercial triumphs, especially in the 1850s and 60s, elevated him to the canvas of Europe's elite and even the Shah of Persia.

His acclaim resonated in Belgium, where the Royal House adorned with his works, as well as in Great Britain and the United States. Queen Victoria beckoned him to Scotland, yet plans dissolved with Prince Albert's passing. In 1869, the Order of Leopold dubbed him a knight.

Lauded in his era, now rediscovered—Roffiaen's work, precise and laden with realistic minutiae, exhibits an exceptional sensitivity. His touch, radiant yet delicate, traces the sun's journey. Masterpieces that, with miraculous equilibrium, emanate both grandiosity and intimacy.