Winter te Dilbeek, 1945

When Jean Brusselmans settled in Dilbeek in 1924, the surrounding landscape was changing at a scorching pace. In post-WWI Brabant, the rolling hilly landscapes were increasingly being dominated by brick walls and saddleback roofs. The changing landscape allowed him to experiment with colour, surface and line. The lack of perspective in his compositions brings the subject to the fore. From his attic window, the artist recorded the succession of the seasons and the construction of villas and apartment buildings. In Winter te Dilbeek the artist reduced nature to its basic forms in a naive way, rearranging them in a personal composition.

In the early forties, as WWII raged, Brusselmans’ wife Marie became seriously ill, and he struggled with financial problems. His artistic output remained limited during those years, in which he painted mainly spring and winter landscapes from his attic window.

• This work is part of the museum’s main collection. It was included in the inventory of the donation from Jules and Irma Dhondt-Dhaenens that was compiled at the board meeting on 03.06.1967.