Valerius De Saedeleer

During the First World War, the family of Valerius de Saedeleer stayed in the village Rhyd-y-felin in Wales. Just like Gustave van de Woestyne and George Minne, who both lived not far away, De Saedeleer was also supported by the Davies sisters, who played an important role in the cultural development of Wales. They put their house Ty'n-Lôn at his disposal. In April 1915 De Saedeleer wrote to a friend: 'I am working well here, surrounded by my family in a beautiful region and a beautiful house, far away from beautiful Flanders and the horrible war. De Saedeleer stayed in Wales until 1921.

Although it is generally said that De Saedeleers Welsh years were a decline in his work, they nevertheless occupy an important place in his oeuvre. That he was already 'working well' early on in his exile is evident from this painting 'reen Hills in Wales. The horizontal panorama of his landscapes of Sint-Martens-Latem and Tiegem made way for wide vistas with an almost surreal character. De Saedeleer applied the paint so thinly that the structure of the underlying canvas gives the composition a special character, for example the meadow in the foreground, but also the panoramic perspective. The meadows in the middle dominate the composition. The surrounding trees in the foreground are sunk into the landscape and become one with the overwhelming nature. Green Hills is an ode to 'the beautiful region' mentioned in the letter, an intimate portrait of the region that gave him shelter during the war years.