Skip to main content

Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Belgian, 1889-1961
Louis Liévin Théophile Clesse (Ixelles, Brussels, 15 June 1889 – 9 February 1961) was a Belgian Post-Impressionist and Realist painter, aquarellist, and etcher, renowned for his atmospheric landscapes, maritime scenes, still lifes, and portraits. His work is marked by a lyrical use of light and colour, expressive brushwork, and a deep sensitivity to mood and place. Born into a modest family in Ixelles, he was the youngest of eight children. His father, François Auguste Clesse, was an upholsterer, and his mother, Augustine Josèphe Leduc, maintained a close-knit household. Louis was introduced to art at an early age by his older brother Theo, who worked as chief assistant in the decorative painting studio of Paul Hermanus. Clesse studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ixelles, where he excelled and received numerous awards, including the prestigious government medal in 1904. He went on to work for the Hermanus firm, producing decorative panels and copies of old masters—an experience that sharpened his technical skills and observational eye. While initially rooted in realism, Clesse’s exposure to artists such as Alfred Bastien and Emile Claus led him toward a more expressive, emotional style. His goal was not to reproduce nature, but to convey its essence through bold colour harmonies and textured, painterly compositions. He debuted at the Brussels Triennial Salon in 1907 and regularly exhibited throughout Belgium (Antwerp, Liège, Charleroi, Mons) and abroad (Barcelona, Nice). He was an active participant in the Belgian art scene, contributing to journals like Revue de l’Art Belge and Savoir et Beauté. Clesse’s favourite subjects included the woodlands and ponds of Auderghem—where he summered and became an honorary citizen in 1959—the Zenne Valley, the Sonian Forest, and the coastal landscapes of West Flanders, particularly around Ostend, Nieuwpoort, and Zeebrugge. Between 1928 and 1932, he also painted extensively along the northern French coast from Petit-Fort-Philippe. In the 1930s, he established a studio in Oudenburg, which became a base for his explorations of the Flemish polders and Bruges. His style is often described as a personal blend of Realism and Impressionism, deeply inspired by Franz Courtens, Isidore Verheyden, and especially Emile Claus. Clesse’s plein-air approach—even on large canvases—was often refined in the studio, lending his works both spontaneity and polish. In addition to landscapes and seascapes, he painted still lifes with game and poultry—drawing from his love of hunting—as well as portraits and figure studies. His art reflects a deep connection to nature and an appreciation for seasonal light. Clesse was a longtime member of the Cercle Artistique et Littéraire (Cercle Gaulois), served on the acquisition committee of the Ixelles Museum, and co-founded the Cercle d’Art d’Ixelles. In 1942, an avenue in Auderghem was named in his honour during his lifetime. He died in Ixelles in 1961. His grave is adorned with a sculpted portrait by René Cliquet. Today, his work is found in numerous public and private collections in Belgium and worldwide.
to
1
2
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
4
2
3
1
4
1
1
1
1
4
4
2
2
2
6
643
633
484
338
4
4
Artist: Louis Clesse
Antique Post-Impressionist River Landscape Painting
Antique Post-Impressionist River Landscape Painting

Antique Post-Impressionist River Landscape Painting

By Louis Clesse

Located in St. Albans, GB

Louis Clesse 1907, Belgian Signed oil painting on panel Picture Size:24 x 36 inch (61 x 91 cm) Frame Size: 31 x 43 inch (79 x 99 cm) Louis Clesse was a Belgian who was born and die...

Category

20th Century Post-Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil

Along the Path, Oudenburg' by Louis Clesse (1889 – Brussels – 1961)
Along the Path, Oudenburg' by Louis Clesse (1889 – Brussels – 1961)

Along the Path, Oudenburg' by Louis Clesse (1889 – Brussels – 1961)

By Louis Clesse

Located in Knokke, BE

Clesse Louis 1889 – Brussels – 1961 Belgian Painter 'Along the Path, Oudenburg' Signature: signed lower right and dated 1943 'Louis Clesse 1943' Medium: oil on panel Dimensions: im...

Category

Mid-20th Century Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Le Rouge Cloitre sous la neige" oil painting on canvas by Louis Clesse 20Th c.
"Le Rouge Cloitre sous la neige" oil painting on canvas by Louis Clesse 20Th c.

"Le Rouge Cloitre sous la neige" oil painting on canvas by Louis Clesse 20Th c.

By Louis Clesse

Located in Gavere, BE

"Le Rouge Cloitre sous la neige" oil painting on canvas by Louis Clesse 20Th c. Wonderfull oil on canvas by Louis Clesse , Belgian School (1889 -1961 ). Clesse was a Belgian figurat...

Category

1920s Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Wintertime forest landscape oil painting on canvas by Louis Clesse 20Th c.
Wintertime forest landscape oil painting on canvas by Louis Clesse 20Th c.

Wintertime forest landscape oil painting on canvas by Louis Clesse 20Th c.

By Louis Clesse

Located in Gavere, BE

"Wintertime forest landscape" oil painting on canvas by Louis Clesse 20Th c. Wonderfull oil on canvas by Louis Clesse , Belgian School (1889 -1961 ). Clesse was a Belgian figurative...

Category

1920s Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Related Items
"Trumans Beach, East Marion 06.06.2022" contemporary impressionist seascape, oil
"Trumans Beach, East Marion 06.06.2022" contemporary impressionist seascape, oil

"Trumans Beach, East Marion 06.06.2022" contemporary impressionist seascape, oil

By Nelson H. White

Located in Sag Harbor, NY

"Trumans Beach, East Marion 06.06.2022" is an almost-abstract palette knife landscape painting of a beach and beach shrubs. Off in the distance is a little white triangle of paint to emulate a sailboat...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Panel

"Concarneau, Brittany, France" Hayley Lever, American Impressionism
"Concarneau, Brittany, France" Hayley Lever, American Impressionism

"Concarneau, Brittany, France" Hayley Lever, American Impressionism

By Hayley Lever

Located in New York, NY

Hayley Lever (1876 - 1958) Concarneau, Brittany, France, 1905 Oil on panel 6 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches Signed by the artist lower left Inscribed by another hand on the reverse Provenance: Clayton-Liberatore Galleries, Bridgehampton, New York Hayley Lever’s (1875-1958) versatility has worked against his posthumous reputation. He was never associated with a single artistic movement, instead producing impressionist, post-impressionist, and expressionist works. While best known as a painter of post-impressionist marine scenes, his subject matter included landscapes, urban scenes, and still lifes across his 60-year career. This lack of a singular style or subject has given him an amorphous place in U.S. art history despite his obvious accomplishments. [Richard] Hayley Lever was born in Bowden, South Australia in 1875. He excelled in painting classes at Prince Alfred College (1883-91) and Norwood Art School (1891-93) in Adelaide. In the 1890s, Lever moved to England, studying art in London and painting at St. Ives, a fishing port and popular artistic colony on the Cornish coast. In St. Ives, Lever shared a studio with Frederick Waugh, and studied painting with Albert Julius Olsson and Algernon Talmage. Lever was a plein air painter particularly interested in the effect of sunlight on the sea. He painted in a distinctive style, strongly influenced by the works of Vincent van Gogh, that might now be called post-impressionism. He used a limited palette to paint the St. Ives harbor, particularly at dusk or in the moonlight. His strong contrasting colors and thick use of paint created a crisp and physical surface that earned him acclaim in Europe. Lever’s many St. Ives seascapes are among his most popular works. In 2017, his painting entitled “The Old Lighthouse and Fleets of St. Ives” sold at auction for $162,500. In 1912, Lever moved to New York to test the art market in the United States. In Manhattan, Lever met prominent U.S. painters such as Ernest Lawson, Robert Henri, William Glackens, John Sloan, and George Bellows. Lever exhibited with this group regularly in New York City, painting parks, streets, bridges and the Manhattan waterfront. However, he soon discovered the scenic potential of Gloucester, Rockport, and Marblehead in the Cape Ann area of Massachusetts...

Category

Early 1900s American Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Original impressionist impasto English 20thC oil painting Cornish Wildflowers
Original impressionist impasto English 20thC oil painting Cornish Wildflowers

Original impressionist impasto English 20thC oil painting Cornish Wildflowers

By Michael Strang

Located in Cirencester, GB

ARTIST: Michael J Strang (1942-2021) British TITLE: "Cornish Poppies" SIGNED: lower right MEDIUM: oil on board SIZE: 56cm x 50cm inclusive of frame CONDITION: very good DETAIL: ...

Category

20th Century Post-Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil

French school Summer in Normandy oil painting Signed
French school Summer in Normandy oil painting Signed

French school Summer in Normandy oil painting Signed

Located in Zofingen, AG

➡️ Summer in Normandy⬅️ ⏩It is signed H D'Avesnes⏪ ⭐Medium:⭐ Oil on wood / isorel ⭐Technique: ⭐Impasto painting with expressive brushwork. ⭐Size:⭐37x48cm / 14.6x18.9 inch with ...

Category

1940s Post-Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel, Gesso, Stretcher Bars

"Beach Scene with Figures and Sailboats" Impressionistic Oil Painting in Holland
"Beach Scene with Figures and Sailboats" Impressionistic Oil Painting in Holland

"Beach Scene with Figures and Sailboats" Impressionistic Oil Painting in Holland

Located in New York, NY

A wonderfully rich beach scene done in Zandvoort Holland in the Mid-20th Century depicting figures in the sand. Some figures are by the water with sailboats as kids play in the dista...

Category

Mid-20th Century Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

‘Cottage By a River’ post impressionist original oil on board, framed
‘Cottage By a River’ post impressionist original oil on board, framed

‘Cottage By a River’ post impressionist original oil on board, framed

Located in Hillsborough, NC

Post Impressionist painting by J. Samuel LaMorna Birch (1869-1955) of French style stucco cottage, with blocks of color reflected in the still river waters. Masterful artist of water...

Category

Early 20th Century Post-Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

George Boyle Impressionist oil painting, Barbizon School of cows grazing
George Boyle Impressionist oil painting, Barbizon School of cows grazing

George Boyle Impressionist oil painting, Barbizon School of cows grazing

Located in Harkstead, GB

A superb example of a Barbizon inspired landscape painted by the "Catford Corot" from the late 19th Century. This very striking image shows the artist at the absolute peak of his abi...

Category

Late 19th Century Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Mountain Landscape - Sierra Nevada, c. 1927
Mountain Landscape - Sierra Nevada, c. 1927

Mountain Landscape - Sierra Nevada, c. 1927

By Jack Wilkinson Smith

Located in Pasadena, CA

Provenance Consigned to the gallery by private collectors Signed "Jack Wilkinson Smith" lower left Description Jack Wilkinson Smith was a New York-based illustrator before moving o...

Category

1920s Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Las Ramblas Barcelona Oil on Canvas, Signed, 1990s, Framed
Las Ramblas Barcelona Oil on Canvas, Signed, 1990s, Framed

Las Ramblas Barcelona Oil on Canvas, Signed, 1990s, Framed

By Josep Moscardo

Located in Sitges, Barcelona

Artist Josep Moscardó (Barcelona, 1953) Title Las Ramblas, Barcelona Technique Oil on canvas Dimensions Canvas: 54 × 81 cm (21.3 × 31.9 in) Framed: 76 × 103 cm (29.9 × 40.6 i...

Category

1990s Post-Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil

Margelkopf in April. Oil landscape Painting, Impressionism, Swiss, mountains
Margelkopf in April. Oil landscape Painting, Impressionism, Swiss, mountains

Margelkopf in April. Oil landscape Painting, Impressionism, Swiss, mountains

By Anna Shesterikova

Located in Oslo, NO

Mountain landscape in oil, spring, mountain, Switzerland, impressionist, horizontal "Margelkopf In April" (50 × 40 cm, oil on canvas) is a subtly emotional mountain landscape painte...

Category

2010s Post-Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Contemporary Artwork, Oil on Canvas, Signed, 20th Century, Framed
Contemporary Artwork, Oil on Canvas, Signed, 20th Century, Framed

Contemporary Artwork, Oil on Canvas, Signed, 20th Century, Framed

Located in Hillsborough, NC

Scottish Bluebells in April/May feature in this contemporary painting of woodlands in the Scottish Colourist tradition. Large, four feet wide in the frame, this artwork brings spring...

Category

20th Century Post-Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Autumn Chill" Dennis Sheehan, Skyscape, Fall Countryside, Atmospheric Scene
"Autumn Chill" Dennis Sheehan, Skyscape, Fall Countryside, Atmospheric Scene

"Autumn Chill" Dennis Sheehan, Skyscape, Fall Countryside, Atmospheric Scene

By Dennis Sheehan

Located in New York, NY

Dennis Sheehan Autumn Chill, circa 2025 Oil on canvas 20 x 24 inches Dennis Sheehan was born in Boston in 1950. His work is based upon the Barbizon School with faithful adherence t...

Category

2010s American Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Previously Available Items
'Along the Path, Oudenburg' by Louis Clesse (1889 – Brussels – 1961)
'Along the Path, Oudenburg' by Louis Clesse (1889 – Brussels – 1961)

'Along the Path, Oudenburg' by Louis Clesse (1889 – Brussels – 1961)

By Louis Clesse

Located in Knokke, BE

Louis Clesse 1889 – Brussels – 1961 Belgian Painter 'Along the Path, Oudenburg' Signature: signed lower right 'Louis Clesse' Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: image size 80 x 100 c...

Category

Early 20th Century Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

In January
In January

Louis ClesseIn January

Sold

H 41.34 in W 49.22 in

In January

By Louis Clesse

Located in Gent, VOV

A splendid snowscape by Louis Clesse which can easily bear comparison with the winter landscapes of Emile Claus in terms of atmosphere and appearance. Here...

Category

Early 20th Century Impressionist Louis Clesse Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Louis Clesse landscape paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Louis Clesse landscape paintings available for sale on 1stDibs.