Jean Pierre François Lamorinière (1828–1911)
Paysage de Campine avec berger et moutons (Landscape in Kempen with Shepherd and Sheep), 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

Born in Antwerp, Lamorinière studied at the city’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts and then practiced open-air painting in the Campine (Kempen) and Ardennes regions. In 1853 he became one of the first Belgians to paint with the French artists in Barbizon. The solitary shepherd in the high fields, watching over his flock in the soft afternoon light, evokes a peaceful image of rural life in Belgium.

His alma mater in Antwerp appointed him professor in 1895, but had to abandon the post when his vision failed a few years later. Lamorinière received many honors, including membership in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the Legion of Honor.