Oudenburg

20th-century oil painting on panel, monogrammed C.V. in the lower left and signed Carlo Van Her on the reverse. The reverse is titled The Church of Oudenburg and dated July 10, 1938. It also bears the inscription: "Exhibited at Galerie Saint-Sauveur, Brussels, February 20, 1941."

Oudenburg, located in West Flanders, is an ancient Belgian town whose origins date back to the Roman period.

A charming and highly expressive countryside scene looking toward the church steeple and village of Oudenburg in the distance. The foreground is treated in an almost Expressionist manner, with grass blades crosshatching one another before merging into a gently leaning fence. There is a wonderful contrast between the controlled, vertical lines of the church rising in the background and the untamed, pastoral energy of the foreground.

The brushwork is rapid and compact, constantly seeking effects of light. Fine, deliberate strokes define the landscape while allowing forms to dissolve into one another, blurring the boundaries between shadow and grass, and trees and sky. Despite its expressive handling, the composition remains remarkably balanced, with the eye naturally drawn from the lively foreground to the quiet village beyond.

About the artist

Carlo Van Her (1884–1960), also known as Charles Van Herbruggen, was a Belgian painter active during the first half of the twentieth century. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels between 1905 and 1906, and again from 1909 to 1913, notably under the Symbolist painter Jean Delville.

Influenced by the Flemish artist Auguste Oleffe, he developed a style closely associated with Belgian Post-Impressionism, characterized by expressive brushwork, rich paint application, and a sustained interest in the effects of light. His oeuvre includes landscapes, seascapes, village views, portraits, and still lifes.

Alongside painting, Van Her also practiced lithography and printmaking. Today, his work is represented in several Belgian public collections, including museums in Antwerp and Tournai.