Louis Welden Hawkins

Louis Welden Hawkins (born 1849, died 1910) was born in Germany of English parents, later taking French nationality.He was a detailed Symbolist painter.

Life

Louis Welden Hawkins was born in Germany ( 1 July 1849 ). His mother was an Austrian Baroness, his father Englishman. Hawkins moved soon to France and took later French nationality. Hawkins attended the famous Académie Julian in Paris. Hawkins became famous after his expositions in the Salon de la Société des Artistes Francais. His first work was shown in the Salon in 1881. After that, expositions followed at the Salon de la Société des Beaux Artes (1894-1911), the Salon de la Rose+Croix (1894-95) and La Libre Esthétque in Brussels.He spended his last years in Brittany, where he painted mostly landscapes.

Louis Welden Hawkins died in 1910 and was honoured a year later at the Salon Nationale.

Periods, themes and styles

After his education at the Académie Julian, Hawkins chose the path of Symbolism. Symbolism began as an artistic movement that developed from Romanticism in France in the second half of the 19th century, taking its themes of decadence, dandyism and mysticism. Symbolism was a reaction to the impressionism. Symbolist painting emphasized fantasy and imagination in their depiction of objects. Symbolist artists often used metaphors and symbols to suggest a subject and favored mystical themes. Hawkins became famous because of his fine and dreamy female portraits.

External links

**An example of his work."The Haloes " [http://www.allposters.com/-sp/The-Haloes-1894-Posters_i1365907_.htm ]