Jean-Baptiste Degreef (1852–94)
Sous bois (Undergrowth), n.d.

Oil on canvas
McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, Gift of Charles Hack and the Hearn Family Trust

Jeffery Howe
Professor Emeritus, Art History

In 1870 Degreef discovered the ancient abbey of the Red Cloister in the forest of Soignes on the outskirts of Brussels; he moved there in 1883. The abbey had been associated with artists since it offered refuge to the early Flemish painter Hugo van der Goes, and it still houses an art school.

Many of Degreef’s works revealing fresh observations of nature and great sensitivity to light depict this setting. The bright colors and vibrant brushstrokes display the influence of impressionism. Degreef was a member of La Chrysalide (1875–81), a progressive artistic association founded by Belgian painter and printmaker Félicien Rops.