Fernand Khnopff

Biography of Fernand Khnopff ( 1858-1921 )

“I create my own world and walk around in it”.

Fernand Khnopff, whose name is today virtually synonymous with Belgian symbolism, was in fact of Austrian origin. Born into a family of Austrian aristocrats, he first grew up in Bruges, then studied at the Lycée in Brussels, where the family moved in 1866. There, he attended university and began studying law. At the age of 20, Fernand Khnopff switched to the study of painting and became a pupil of Xavier Mellery at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. There, he learned the fundamentals of painting, and studied alongside James Ensor.

From an early age, Khnopff spoke several languages, took an interest in history and literature, and studied the cultures of ancient civilizations. This fascination sparked the future artist's interest in the occult sciences, in particular Freemasonry and the Kabbalah, as well as the symbolism of tarot cards, which would later influence his artistic work.

It was at the 1878 Universal Exhibition that Khnopff was struck by the works of the English Pre-Raphaelites and the symbolism of Gustave Moreau. He borrowed his female model from the Pre-Raphaelites, perfectly embodied by his sister Marguerite, whom he made his principal muse. A woman with red hair, austere, beautiful but somehow cold, with scarlet lips and chiseled features. As for Gustave Moreau, he would see Marguerite as his principal teacher throughout his life.

In 1879, Khnopff studied with Jules Lefèbvre in Paris and attended the Académie Julian. In his first paintings, he rendered nature and devoted himself to the study of the finest light phenomena. Returning to Belgium in 1880, he became an active member of the group of young Belgian painters known as “L'essor”. In 1883, he co-founded the international avant-garde art circle “Les XX”. He also founded the Libre Esthétique. He regularly exhibited in their renowned salons, as well as abroad (Munich, Florence and London). The writer Émile Verhaeren devoted four articles to him in the magazine “L'art moderne”.

In 1885, he met Joséphin Péladan, Grand Master of the esoteric society La Rose+Croix in Paris. For the author, he designed various frontispieces and exhibited his work at salons organized by Péladan (1892 to 1897).

In 1891, he exhibited in England, meeting the Pre-Raphaelites in London and publishing critical articles and commentaries on Belgian artists and exhibitions in “The Studio” magazine. He enjoyed success at the first exhibition of the Vienna Secession in 1898, where he gained international renown. His mysterious women had a decisive impact on the work of his contemporary Gustav Klimt.

On the death of his father the following year, he decided to build himself a house-workshop near the Bois de la Cambre in Brussels, conceived as a temple to his own “self”. He drew up the plans with Art Nouveau architect Edouard Pelseneer, and decorated the house himself. He dedicated himself almost entirely to it between 1900 and 1902. Sadly, the building was destroyed after the painter's death in 1938.

From 1903 onwards, he regularly designed costumes and sets for the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels. He was also commissioned to paint a canvas for the ceiling of the Maison Communal in Saint-Gilles, as well as murals for the music room at the Palais Stoclet.
Khnopff was also interested in photography, and devoted himself to engraving and sculpture. Towards the end of his life, the artist was increasingly in demand, creating programs for charities and patriotic events.

Unlike most artists of his time, who worked exclusively in oils, Khnopff was happy to use pastels, watercolors, chalk and red chalk in his work. Moreover, in some of his paintings, several techniques are combined. Another interesting technique, often used, was the superimposition of a photograph onto the composition. In some cases, he would take photographs of his models in advance, retouch them and combine them to create a final painting.

Melancholy, solitude, introspection, the attempt to escape reality and take refuge in dreams - this is the mood that pervades many of his works. His paintings are inspired by or illustrate literature, and his complex symbolism is often rooted in it. In addition to numerous references to religious and mythological subjects, the artist often quotes his contemporaries. Thanks to his younger brother George, who was close to this milieu, Khnopff knew many Belgian and French poets and writers, in particular Emile Verhran and Georges Rodenbach.