Leopold Halvoet d.1918. Belgian Soldier. Original Charcoal Drawing. Arras, France 1915. Framed

Leopold halvoet. Belgian ( d.1918 adinkerke ). Arras, france. 1915. Charcoal on paper. Signed & dated 1915 lower right. Image size 18.5 inches X 23.8 inches ( 47cm X 60.5cm ). Frame size 27.6 inches X 32.3 inches ( 70cm X 82cm ). Available for sale from big sky fine art in the english county of dorset is this original world war 1 charcoal drawing by the belgian soldier leopold halvoet dated 1915. The drawing is presented and supplied in a contemporary and sympathetic frame (which is shown in these photographs) mounted using conservation materials and behind glass. This antique drawing is in very good condition, commensurate with its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display. This original charcoal on paper drawing by the belgian leopold halvoet is truly a piece of history, being a contemporaneous record of what the artist observed in the town of arras in 1915. It is signed and dated in the lower right. The scene that confronted the artist, a young belgian soldier, was one of destruction and desolation. We see the historic buildings of the town partially destroyed, and the wreckage of a horse and cart in the bleak foreground. It is a pitiful sight. in the great war of 1914-18 the area in and around arras was of strategic importance. Large-scale battles were fought in this region in each year of the first world war apart from 1916. In 1914-15 the front-line trenches ran from the east and north of arras, and across to the belgian border. Sadly, leopold halvoet did not survive the great war. He died in battle at adinkerke on 13th september 1918, in the final weeks of the war. The belgian war dead registrar describes him as “soldat tweede klasse / soldat deuxième classe, service number 122/255 and served in the 22e régiment de ligne”. Today, he speaks to us through his art in images that still convey the horror of the sights he witnessed.

Ref. : A2JV6WHD