His work represents a break with the tradition of grand themes in Belgian marine art in favour of a realist representation of nature.
The teachers and pupils of the Antwerp Academy with an interest in marine painting worked in the Romantic tradition: Jacob Jacobs depicted stormy scenes and Hendrik Frans Schaefels preferred scenes of historic naval engagements.
[2] Leemans broke with this Romantic and historical approach to marine art in favour of a more realistic rendering of nature even in its modest appearance.
[3] His most frequent subjects are landscapes of rivers or canals with sailing boats in old cities in Flanders and The Netherlands.
[3] A few still lifes by Leemans depicting flowers and fruit typically set in a landscape are also recorded.