Léon Louis grew up in a small rural Walloon village. A painter and engraver, he pursued almost uninterrupted creative activity from his arrival at La “S” workshops in Vielsalm in 2002 until his death. The archetype of the sturdy, hardworking Ardennes man with a gruff character, comfortably seated on his padded chair, he painted by layering thick flows of paint. Despite the imposing effect of his pictorial work, Louis also demonstrated that he could produce works of surprising delicacy. His etched faces of Christ, created as part of the collective project Ave Luïa, express a desire to come as close as possible to the sacred — a longing likely reinforced by his spirituality.