Author Bio
Armand Apol was born in Brussels in 1879 and as a young boy of the age of twelve enrolled at the Brussels Academy. Here, under the guidance of Constant Montald, he was taught to paint in the manner of the Impressionists. Graduating in 1901, he was invited to show with the group, ‘Le Sillon’ a unique opportunity for one so young. His paintings, usually depicting town and harbor views, are almost luminist in quality. Although preferring darker, more somber colors he manages to imbue within his work an inner light that purveys the image. The years leading up to the First World War were good to Apol and his work was gaining considerable praise from the public and critics. In 1915, however, everything changed when he was taken prisoner by the Germans and sent to a camp in Germany. He spent the remaining years of the war in both Germany and later in Switzerland, finally returning to Belgium in 1918.
Resuming his career was difficult and he never again achieved the success he had enjoyed before. He continued to paint however and along with his contemporaries, de Saedeleer and Saverys started a whole new movement in Belgium, one concerned with industrial imagery and the Modern World.
Armand Apol died in Brussels in 1950 although his paintings can be seen today in Belgium at the museums of Brussels, Ixelles, Liege and Verviers.
Lit; Arto
P. Piron