Hendrik Emil (Rik) Wouters (21 August 1882 – 11 July 1916) was a Belgian painter, sculptor and draughtsman. Wouters produced 200 paintings, drawings and sculptures in his 34 years before his illness-caused death. he died partway through the First World War on 11 July 1916 in Amsterdam. A sculptor, painter, draughtsman and etcher of typically fauvist style, Wouters' art resembled the works of artists including Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne and André Derain- the "forefathers" of Fauvism. Rik Wouters' art, according to Adams (2018), reflects themes of "warmth and tenderness", his paintings characterised by an array of colours and brush strokes, frequently leaving unpainted canvas to increase this effect. Often depicting his muse, his wife Hélène Philomène Lionardine Duerinckx (Nel), Wouters disregarded hidden symbolic inferences within his art in favour of a more "simplistic and genuine" style, distancing himself from mainstream artists. Wouters was educated in fine arts academies in Mechelen and Brussels, however his works usually slightly differ stylistically from other Fauvist artists. Wouters is known primarily for his sculptures and paintings including 'Lady in blue' (1914), 'Self-portrait with cigar''' (1914) and ‘Chrysanthèmes’ (1915). Early life Hendrik Emil Wouters was born on 21 August 1882 in Mechelen, Belgium. His father, Emil Wouters, was an ornamental sculptor and his mother, Melania Daems, was a housewife. Wouters' mother died in 1888. After dropping out of school at age 12, he began working on wooden sculptures and furniture decorations in his father's workshop and developed a passion for the craft. It was here that he met and began working with fellow Mechelen-born sculptor Ernest Wijnants, who would remain a lifelong friend. In 1912, Wouters painted a portrait of his friend, entitled ‘Portrait of Ernest Wijnants’. Wouters also developed an interest in drawing, and practiced in his free time. In 1897, aged fifteen, Wouters left his father's workshop in pursuit of a career as an artist and sculptor. Education and apprenticeship Having left the workshop, Rik Wouters enrolled at the Academy of Mechelen in 1897. He remained a pupil for 4 years; until 1901. Wouters applied to the Academy of Brussels in 1900, but was only admitted in 1901, resulting in a relocation to the Belgian capital to begin his tutelage under Charles Van der Stappen. Restricted by the mores of the institution, Wouters was unable to produce any works of originality and so painted within popular methodologies, including hidden iconographical meanings- a style