Pierre PAULUS (Châtelet, 1881 - Brussels, 1959)

This painter, engraver and ceramic artist was born into a family of artists. At the beginning of his career, he was influenced by the French impressionist school as well as the luminism in the works of Emile Claus (1849-1924) and his school. His first landscapes were produced under this influence, using the same the techniques, subjects and the vivid and warm colours.
Constantin Meunier (1831-1905), whose realistic and socially inspired paintings had a considerable influence on P. Paulus died in 1905. It was from this time on that Paulus started producing his first paintings portraying the industrial landscapes of the banks of the Sambre.

In 1910, Paulus befriended Jules Destrée's (1863-1936). The following year, he painted Youth, a significant work in his career, one of the masterpieces of the " Salon d'Art Moderne" at the exhibition of Charleroi in 1911.

From the romantic realism in Youth, Paulus evolved towards art with hints of expressionism, which are reminiscent of Permeke. He worked with a knife applying generous layers of paint, and this showed to advantage his rich palette with its infinite shades of colour. He painted hieratic figures of miners, metal workers or "hiercheuses" who occupied a large part of the picture against a heavy and dark background, adopting the style of artists such as Marius Carion (1898-1949).