Career
Born in Werchter, Cornelius van Leemputten is predominantly known for his landscapes with sheep, similar to the style of Charles Jacque. He began his painting career without formal training. He was well known for his barnyard subjects.
Leemputten eventually became a pupil of the Academy of Antwerp, though his style remained primarily self-taught.
Partially as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution, the depiction of farm animals and pastoral scenes gained popularity in the nineteenth century. The simple, rural subjects perhaps evoked nostalgia in the richer city populations of the time.
The seventeenth-century artist Paulus Potter was an influence for many of the artists of this period, including van Leemputten.