Passionate about philosophy, Léon immersed himself in the works of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, and also educated himself through the writings of Maurice Maeterlinck. Very early on, he showed a marked interest in drawing, which he briefly perfected at the Bruges academy at the age of 18, training he had to interrupt due to his fragile health. In 1902, he obtained his first job with the Brussels publisher Edmond Deman, for whom he produced illustrations intended for rare books.
He recognised himself in the milieu of Belgian Symbolist artists and befriended figures such as Émile Verhaeren, whose several publications he illustrated, as well as Camille Lemonnier and Fernand Crommelynck. His work remains deeply rooted in the life of Ostend, his native city, where he spent most of his existence. He worked in Brussels between 1917 and 1921, then returned to Ostend, later settling permanently in Brussels from 1935, where he died in 1946.
Most of his works are dated, as if to mark a continuity in his production. The first, produced in 1899, coincides with his brief training at the Bruges academy. His initial period is dominated by melancholy and solitude, expressed through vast empty spaces — beaches or expanses sometimes pushed as far as abstraction — inviting the viewer to inner questioning. Imbued with metaphysical concerns, his youthful works, close to the Symbolist spirit, evoke both the universe of Fernand Khnopff and that of Edvard Munch, while also reflecting an affinity with James Ensor.
“The sea for me is an enchantment (...). Everything appears anew to me, extraordinary, fantastic.”
He gradually introduced more colour and tightened the framing of his compositions. These colours progressively dispel the black ink of solitude and melancholy characteristic of his early works. In harbour scenes, a recurring motif in his work, women, children and a dog appear near the water and the moored boats, probably here in the port of Ostend on the shore of the North Sea. Even when it occupies only a secondary role, the sea remains a central theme in a large part of his œuvre.
The foreground is devoted to the figures, which take on an increasingly important place in his work, particularly the women and fishing families (ill. 1). Spilliaert blends the simplicity of daily life with a symbolism tinged with dreamlike accents: the silhouettes, first outlined and later coloured, illustrate a moment of peaceful life, the modesty of a happy family.
Spilliaert’s uniqueness lies in his predilection for paper, the medium on which he produced the majority of his work, mastering ink, pastel and coloured pencils. In his drawings, he superimposes the strokes of grease pencil in layers, creating delicate textures and subtle nuances. After his marriage in 1916, Spilliaert devoted himself to his family and gained serenity, an evolution perceptible in his creations. The choice of coloured pencil is not insignificant: it allows him to infuse life and vibrancy into his compositions. A true artist of light, Spilliaert sculpts shadow and brightness with exceptional sensitivity, giving his works a depth and intensity that seem to pulsate under the viewer’s gaze. Sometimes described as Expressionist, Symbolist or Surrealist, Spilliaert is an artist of remarkable creativity, whose œuvre cannot be confined to any single style.
We thank Madame Anne Adriaens-Pannier, specialist of the artist, for having confirmed the authenticity of our drawing, which will be included in the catalogue raisonné in preparation on the artist.
M.O
