His earliest paintings joined Christian mysticism with pantheistic themes, while his later works increasingly reflected social concerns.

In 1871, he was apprenticed to the architect and decorative painter, Charle-Albert [fr] and began taking night courses at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.

On his return from Italy, he made his debut at the Brussels Salon, where he came under the influence of Jules Bastien-Lepage, and became a member of the artist group L'Essor.

The young Alexandre Benois was a great admirer of his works and, in 1898, arranged for several to be purchased by Princess Maria Tenisheva, for an exhibition in St. Petersburg.

After his marriage, he moved to his final home in Schaerbeek in 1899, and continued to travel and exhibit his work in international fairs,[3][4] winning awards in the United States and Germany and another gold medal at the Exposition Universelle (1900).