Frans Coppens (haaltert 1895 – Aalst 1974) - “flemish Landscape”

Frans Coppens
Haaltert 1895 – 1974 Aalst
Belgian Painter

'Flemish Countryside'

Signature: signed lower right 'F Coppens'
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: image size 50 x 60 cm, frame size 59 x 69 cm

Biography: Frans Coppens was born on 19 September 1895 in Haaltert (Belgium) and died on 5 July 1974 in Aalst. He was a Belgian landscape painter and draughtsman, best known for his panoramic views of the Flemish countryside.

Coppens was self-taught; he did not receive formal academic training but developed his style entirely on his own. His work shows a clear affinity with the tradition of Flemish landscape painting, particularly with the Flemish Primitives and later artists such as Valerius De Saedeleer, who combined a symbolist-mystical approach to landscape with the traditional Flemish idiom.

Coppens’s oeuvre is characterised by expansive, panoramic landscapes, often imbued with a calm and contemplative atmosphere. He painted mainly the Flemish countryside—fields, farmsteads, and village views—and his works were usually executed in oil on canvas or panel. His compositions frequently emphasise broad horizons and wide skies, with tranquil natural elements that echo the rural tradition which continued to inspire Belgian landscape painting in the twentieth century.

Although Coppens is not widely documented, his work represents Belgian landscape art of the first half of the twentieth century, incorporating elements related to those of contemporaries who likewise built upon the Flemish landscape tradition.

His works are occasionally found in private collections, where they are appreciated for their authentic depiction of the Flemish countryside and their refined, soothing atmosphere.

Literature: Documented in the monograph on Frans Coppens, The Metaphysician of the Flemish Landscape (Haaltert, 19 September 1895 – Aalst, 5 July 1974).