Maurice Seghers, Impressionistic Pastel Drawings

Impressionistic pastel drawing by Maurice Seghers. 
Monogrammed in pencil.
30 x 23 cm

The Antwerp marine painter M.H.L. (Maurice) Seghers (1883-1959) was born into an artistic family. Unlike his father, the shipowner/marine painter Henri Seghers Jr. (1848-1919), he was allowed to attend the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. From 1892 onwards, he spent his summers with his parents at the family villa "De Schuit" in the then village-like Knokke. Here he became acquainted with the local fishing industry.

The barges from Heist and Blankenberge still landed on the beach there daily. After completing his studies at the Antwerp academy, he regularly stayed in Nieuwpoort from 1908 onwards. The entire Flemish coast held a great fascination for the young Seghers. He found much inspiration in the ports of Ostend and Zeebrugge, with their fishing boats sailing in and out daily. During the First World War, he lived in southwest England, in Barnstaple at the mouth of the River Taw. Immediately after the war, he initially lived with his wife Bertha De Bom and daughter Louisa in Antwerp, before moving to Ostend in 1920. In 1932, he settled back in Antwerp/Berchem, where he remained until his death in 1959.

He developed into a gifted impressionist realist, painting in a bold style with a bright, southern palette. Besides painting oils, gouaches, and watercolors, he worked as a documentary artist and etcher for the slowly but surely disappearing commercial sailing industry. He was also an excellent ship modeler and, in 1952, was closely involved in the establishment of the National Maritime Museum in Antwerp.