Achilles Bentos' predilection for themes from ancient mythology is well known (see, among others, the paintings of Leda and the swan). Another theme that Bentos took up at least twice is that of Daphnis and Chloe.
A painting by Achilles De Maertelaere Bentos has recently appeared in the United States. It is a portrait of an Indian, with a background in Gustav Klimt-style. This painting is part of the decoration of Café Bentos, the café in the Lammerstraat in Ghent, which was run by a friend of Achilles called Henri Frans. It was this Henri...
Achilles De Maertelaere was quite fond of mythological themes. The most well-known scenes are undoubtedly those of "Leda and the Swan".
In May of last year, a previously unknown painting by Achilles Bentos came to the forefront in a sale at the Vanderkinderen Auction House. A naked woman is looking at the viewer, partly covering her body with a golden yellow sheet. The frame is original and, as we often see in our painter's work, somewhat baroque.
On February 17, 1934, Belgian King Albert I died in Marche-les-Dames in a mountaineering accident. Very quickly, the merchants of Ghent launched a subscription for the erection of a statue in his honour. After much discussion and tribulations, it was decided to launch an art competition, reserved for artists from Ghent and East Flanders, for a...
In the face of the pandemic that confines us all and whose end we cannot (yet) really see, we all pay tribute to the nursing staff. Indirectly, this blog page is a tribute to all of them.
Achilles De Maertelaere studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Ghent, from 1894-1895. He was then only twelve years old.
One of the outstanding blogs about Ghent is written by Geert Vandamme. It is a very extensive blog, with an unbelievable amount of information about the history of Ghent, about the culture in Ghent, etc. The blog now has dozens of long and exceptionally well-documented pages.
Only two self-portraits of Achilles De Maertelaere are known. Although he had himself photographed willingly (there are a whole series of portraits of him known), he did not consider himself an ideal painting object.
Although never married and, as far as we know, never in relation to a woman, Achilles De Maertelaere-Bentos has painted many portraits of women. Some of these portraits are among the most expressive portraits he has made.
