Gleanings

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.

The "Westerbergraafplaats" in Ghent has had an eventful history of its origins. Indeed, in the second half of the 19th century, the city council decided that non-Catholics (Protestants, Jews, liberals) could also be buried there, which led to a great deal of resistance from the church authorities at the time. The cemetery was nicknamed...

Around 1915 Achilles De Maertelaere painted a series of canvases intended to serve as decor for the Café Bentos in the Lammerstraat, 15 in Ghent. There are scenes from Japan, Africa, America, etc. As far as we know, De Maertelaere has never been to these countries. He must have worked on the basis of photographic material. One canvas depicts Cairo,...

In the collection of Achilles De Maertelaere, there is a whole series of portraits of Canadians. Men and women in uniform, older men and women ... Based on the limited information Bentos has written on the back of old photographs, I was able to trace back a series of those Canadians. Here is one of the beautiful stories.
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