Eugène Laermans is a Belgian painter of the 19th century. At the end of that century, many Belgian farmers and workers emigrated to the United States and South America. For many families, this adventure ended tragically. Misery is a recurring theme in this artist's work, which can also be seen in his painting "The Land Removers". The expression is in the depiction of silhouetted figures, synthetic shapes, angular, sharp contours and solid, neutral colours. "The Land Removers" is a beautiful triptych, painted in a style reminiscent of Bruegel's. The painting is full of emotion, the peasants and their wives looking back once more at their beloved village, which already seems far away across the water.
