79 - LOUIS VERBOECKHOVEN (Belgium, 1802–Brussels, 1889).

LOUIS VERBOECKHOVEN (Belgium, 1802–Brussels, 1889). “Seascape.” Oil on panel. Signed. Measurements: 14 x 21 cm; 25.5 x 30.5 cm (frame). Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. A seascape in which the artist has chosen an aesthetic approach that reveals a keen interest in the color and luminosity of the landscape, setting aside, to a certain extent, a detailed description of the subject in order to capture an impression of nature—a purely visual and artistic image—in which precise brushstrokes shape forms and spaces, creating a scene where nature takes on a new atmospheric dimension that goes beyond the mere reproduction of reality. Louis Verboeckhoben was a Belgian-born seascape painter known for his Romantic-style painting. His father, Barthélemy Verboeckhoven, was a sculptor, and his older brother, Eugène, was an animal painter. Both relatives provided him with his early artistic training. In 1815, the family moved to Ghent, where he developed an interest in marine painting and came under the influence of Frans Balthasar Solvyns.In 1827, along with his father and brother, he settled in Brussels and, that same year, exhibited two paintings at the local Salon. In 1830, however, he stopped painting and became involved in the political events that led to Belgium’s independence. He later resumed exhibiting, notably at the “Triennial Salons” in Brussels, Ghent, and Antwerp, as well as at smaller salons in the provinces. After 1842, he changed his style, introducing brighter colors and a more realistic aesthetic. On many occasions, he collaborated with his brother on paintings.