Paul Cauchie's Reading

The fact that Paul Cauchie left the architecture section of the Antwerp Academy of Fine Arts after two years of study (1891-1893), to attend Constant Montald's painting classes in Brussels (1893-1898), undoubtedly indicates a maturing of his vocation. At eighteen, he felt more at home with painting than with architectural drawings. Nevertheless, he attended classes at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, where his fellow student was Gabriel van Dievoet. His architectural output is minimal: three studio houses in Brussels, two twin villas on the Belgian coast, and a listed villa, Villa Dageraad (Villa l'Aurore), in Eeklo. A friend of the architect Édouard Frankinet, the latter's importance and influence on Cauchie's architecture should not be underestimated; however, in the field of façade decoration and, in particular, the sgraffito technique revived by the Art Nouveau movement, he gave his all and was one of the most talented and prolific creators in Belgium.