Elisabeth De Saedeleer - "Snow landscape"

Elisabteh De Saedeleer
(1902 - 1972) oil painting on canvas.
Elisabeth was the daughter of the Latem painter Valerius De Saedeleer. She had four sisters, of whom Maria-Josefa and Monica would later play an active role in her company.[1][2]
In 1914, when Elisabeth was 12 years old, the family left Belgium because of the invasion of the German Empire at the beginning of the First World War. The family fled to Zeeland, where they were invited to Wales at the request of Baron David Davies. A trip to Aberystwyth was arranged for the De Saedeleer family, artists Gustave van de Woestijne (1881-1974) and George Minne (1866-1941). This confused the group. They had prepared for a trip to Cardiff, where other Belgian artists were already in residence. However, Davies' choice was not random. David Davies' daughters, Gwendoline and Margaret, were both philanthropists and invested their share of the fortune of their grandfather, David Davies (1818-1890), in the local cultural life. They saw inviting the refugee Belgian artists as an opportunity, whereby the guests could contribute something to the culture. Despite the difficult nesting of the artist families in the community, due to religious differences, the three families were given residence in houses owned by the Davies sisters. The De Saedeleer family settled in the 'Tynlon House' in Rhydyfelin (Wales). Elisabeth's father immediately started working there as a painter and, through a former employee of William Morris, came into contact with the ideas of the arts and crafts movement. He decided to have his daughters learn the art of weaving from skilled local weavers, and gave them an art education in drawing and painting. Elisabeth was also given the opportunity to master the art of weaving tapestry, which she received from May Morris (1862-1938).
In 1918 Valerius was elected as the future head of the new local 'Arts and Crafts Centre' founded by Professor Fleure and the Davies sisters. In the meantime the family came into contact with the Dutch entrepreneur Jacob de Graaff (1873-1947). The man was an avid collector of Belgian art and invited the De Saedeleer sisters to London in February 1919. This visit must have left a decisive impression as he later regularly provided the sisters with materials they needed for their craft. The family planned to stay in Wales, but after the war financiers and local authorities were not well-disposed towards them. In 1921 the family had no other choice than to move back to Belgium. Source Wikipedia