JAN HABEX
The primordial coal forest (1945)
Oil on canvas – 300 x 500 cm - The Emile Van Doren Museum’s collection, Genk
Fascinating, isn’t it, the mining landscape? Jan Habex (1887 – 1954) thought so too. Born and bred in Waterschei, this artist was one of many painters inspired by Genk’s fascinating landscape. This painting represents a coal forest from prehistoric times – the Carboniferous era – from which the subterranean layers of coal formed millions of years later.