The Nieuwerck of Titz

Louis Titz and Ypres

The photo shows Louis Titz (Bruges, 1859- Brussels, 1932) at work on his easel. He is painting one of his many cityscapes of Ypres. Titz loved Ypres, and the city plays an important role in his oeuvre. He made his first working visit to Ypres in 1904 and the city continued to inspire him ever since.

Titz, Antony and the people of Ypres.

Titz discovered Ypres while travelling around Belgium to make illustrations for the “Dictionnaire encyclopédique de géographie historique du Royaume de Belgique”, which was published in 1905. After that first visit, he returned regularly. He captured cityscapes, buildings and street scenes in drawings and watercolours. He often drew the Grote Markt, the Cloth Hall and the Nieuwerck, both before and after the First World War. He was loved and well known among the people of Ypres because they often saw him sitting in the street with his easel.

In 1907, the Ypres photographer Maurice Antony portrayed Louis Titz while he was painting the passage from the Nieuwerck to Sint-Maartensplein. The artist is sitting with an almost finished watercolour in front of the inn “In het klein stadhuis” on the Grote Markt. The original glass plate of this photograph is kept in the Ypres Museum.

Titz, a renowned artist

At that time, Titz was already well known in Belgian art circles. He exhibited in the prestigious 19th-century salons of Antwerp, Ghent and Namur. He produced watercolours, drawings and engravings. He also designed posters, programmes and bookplates.

In 1894, he drew the image for the first Belgian four-colour 20-franc banknote. This banknote was in circulation until 1922. Internationally, he became best known as an illustrator of books. The Ypres Museum's collection includes several watercolours and sketches by Titz.