Gust Smet - Naked lady under tree

Large work by the East Flemish artist Gust Smet (1911 - 1997). In his well-known style: pastel chalk and charcoal on paper, framed behind matt glass. The work is in perfect condition but the frame shows some traces of use.
Gust (August) Smet was a Belgian artist, born in Sint-Niklaas in 1911 and died in Lokeren in 1997. He was a painter and draftsman. Smet studied at the Academy in Sint-Niklaas under the guidance of A. Proost, S. Wynants and A. Horenbant (1922-1934). He then continued his studies at Sint-Lucas and Ter Kameren in Brussels.
His works from the 1950s show influences from Braque, Ernst and Chagall. Later he painted landscapes and his style evolved towards fantasy and phantasmagoria. From the press: "In the landscapes and still lifes from the 1960s, Gust Smet was not concerned with a faithful representation of reality, but with the expression of the inner feeling of the real point of contact. That inner emotionality has remained the core of his later work, with which he clearly broke through the regional circle." He painted compositions with figures that breathe fantasy, in which intriguing characters and plants appear.
From the press: "Gust Smet constantly focuses on people in his paintings. Sometimes he achieves a striking serenity or adds a poetic touch. But he often paints fearful faces, with eyes that reflect the helplessness and dismay of the contemporary 'mortal'. For Smet, the treatment of the figure is almost always an opportunity to create an unreal, often threatening atmosphere and occasionally to let the thought of death seep through. The works that Gust paints possess a restrained drama. The self-portraits show a tormented and wounded person."
From 1956 he worked in Lokeren. He was a member of the Piet Stautkring in Beveren-Waas. A tribute exhibition was held in Sint-Martens-Latem in 1976. There were also exhibitions in Lokeren in 1986 and 1991. He is mentioned in Two centuries of signatures of Belgian artists. (Piron)