Paul Craps

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Paul Craps, also known as Pol Craps, was a Belgian painter and graphic artist. He was born on November 16, 1877, in Uccle, near Brussels, and died on April 27, 1939, in Drogenbos.

He showed artistic talent early and studied from 1894 to 1897 at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, where Auguste Danse taught him graphic techniques that influenced his work. During this time he published several aquatints with the Société des Aquafortistes.

In 1902, Craps married Marie Van Elewyck, a schoolteacher, and they settled in Drogenbos. They had seven children.

Craps gained recognition at the 1910 fourth salon of L’Estampe, where he displayed etchings and monotypes that were well received. He was an active member of the Cercle d’art d’Uccle and helped organize their annual exhibitions. He also pursued other interests, such as amateur singing and pigeon fancying.

Many of his portraits depict ordinary people, but he also painted some celebrities, including Edith Cavell, and his fellow artist Emile Wauters. Landscapes were among his most familiar works, often showing scenes from near Drogenbos, with a few from the coast.

He occasionally taught students. Felix De Boeck was his best-known pupil, working with him from 1909 to 1915. Nicolas de Staël took a few lessons from Craps in 1934.

Around 1935 his artistic activity slowed. He built an exhibition space in his garden and held two shows there, in 1937 and again in late 1938. He passed away in 1939.