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Born
in a huntsmen family
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| My grand father,
Jean Cruse, was a huntsman in Bordeaux, SW of France. He was hunting
roe deer and his kennel with his 140 hunting hounds was 300 meters
away from my home. So I did not choose, I was born a hunter. At the
age of 4, I was riding a poney and very soon, I went hunting with
him through the wide forest of the SW of France. Jean Cruse has been
one of the initiator of the french "hunting hounds Club",
the french huntsmen club. |
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This charcoal portrait of a huntsman, drawn
by Xavier de Porets shows my grandfather, with his hunting hounds
in front of our family home, Le Chateau du Taillan, a famous Bordeaux
vinyard.
When I was 16, a belgium young lady came hunting with us for a few
days. Her family were famous belgium huntsmen and had large forests
in Belgium and France. She was really beautiful, cheerful and a
very elegant rider. I remind my grandfather insisting A lot on the
fact that she could be a good bride for me. I was too young to think
wedding ! But it was not a bad idea... she is still beautiful, cheerful
and rather wealthy .
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| Years
later, we met again... and Evelyne opened for me the doors of the
belgium aristocraty. Thanks, Evelyn ! |
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A few
lifes later, as I was 43 years old, I exhibited for the first
time in the Chambord's castle "game-fair". During
that event, all the french and belgium huntsmen use to have
their annual congress in the castle. I was sharing my stand
with a famous hunting master, Pierre Borione, and many hunters
and huntsmen were coming to visit him. One of them was an elegant
lady. When Pierre introduced me to her, I recognised Evelyne
and we fell in each other's arms. She was now the Rallye Vielsalm's
Master. Admiring my blooming talent, she gave me a commission
to paint her hunting hounds.
6 monthes later, I drove north to meet the belgium hunters during
one of their hunting party. We were in march and the sun was
shining. A great day to take photos. Evelyn, her master and
the ladies were wearing blue coats with red cuffs, while the
other huntsmen had inverted colors. The golden buttons and copper
(french) hunting horns were dazzling in the sunshine, It was
wonderful. All these belgium hunters were laughing all the time.
During the meeting before the start, I took photos of each one
of them, while they were laughing.
Evelyn is on the left and her master on the right. |
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A year later, as I was invited to come back,
I painted a whole collection of portraits from these photos,
where each hunter was laughing. I had a great success and
got commissions to paint again the portraits where they were
two persons, because each one of them wanted it.
This painting on the left is the only one I did not sell.
Everyone recognised these persons and found it was very interesting
to show them backside. You have Evelyne's mother on the left,
her cousin, her husband and her daughter on the right. A fun
family's portrait, is not it ? But noone bought it. So month
after month, I was more and more angry against this painting.
I was in this mood, when the President of the french "Hunting
Society" came at my home to visit the rising artist in
his workshop. As we were in my drawing room, he suddenly saw
my grandfather's portrait. "Why do you have this portrait
of Jean Cruse on your walls", did he ask me. He then
told me with a voice touched with emotion, the munificent
way he had been received by my grandfather 30 years earlier.
After that, he wrote a wonderful article about my paintings
in the very smart, french huntsmen 's magazine, called "Venerie".
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Philippe Dulac, the President of the "french Huntsmen Club",
to illustrate his article, chose this painting of a pack of hounds
( I will show it enlarged in the next page, with comments and details.
) ... but he decided to print Evelyne 's family portrait on the
cover. Too bad ! It was rather far of my usual subjects, dogs and
hounds. On the other side, it was such an unusual hunting scene,
that the readers wrote a lot of angry letters to the magazine about
this cover. Perfect !! People were speaking of me, bad or good,
but they were speaking of me, at least !!
and they reminded my name !
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On the right, one of the hounds I painted for Evelyne.
I also drew graphite sketches that you saw or will see in
the "drawing gallery"
On the right, is the subject of the next page,
click on the picture
the watercolor painting of a pack
of hounds,
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