Louis Dubois belonged to a group of artists who, in the style of the second half the 19th Century, rebelled against the traditional painting of the past in favor of the style of this period. With the painters Théodore Baron, Louis Artan, Edmond Lambrichs, F. Foudin, on March 1, 1868, he became one of the founders of La Société Libre des Beaux-Arts. The society was officially established in 1868 as "Comité de Salut Public révolutionnaire, pour la libération de l'Art" according to Lucien Solvay. Rebellious such as those in the school of Courbet, they scorned the rules of the Academy and the aesthetics currently accepted; the artists of the "Free Society for the Fine Arts" freely and uniquely interpreted nature and reality, without following a common discipline, and stated their motto: "Liberté et Sincerité" and thus started a vehement controversy. To make known and spread their realist philosophy, in 1871 they created "L'Art Libre" an art and literary journal under Leon Dommartin's direction; it was published on the 1st and 15th of each month. Louis Dubois, as the principal illustrator and the only painter-editor, was the most argumentative. Under the pseudonym "Hout", in his alert, precise style, he let flow his caustic spirit. In his stories, he criticized traditional painting, in his well-respected lampoons, he spoke from the perspective of good sense, logic, sincerity, truth.
Criticism
On January 1, 1872, he published under the title "Les Biographes et les Biographies" a spiritual critique of his professional enemies, The Romantics of the school of 1830. He is also given credit for the articles signed "Karl Stur," in "L'Art Libre" and in the daily newspaper "La Chronique", during the years 1870-1871.
Paintings
He worked in Paris at Thomas Couture's studio, which was active from 1847 to 1863, as did Edouard Manet. He also found himself in the company of Felicien Rops, Charles Hermans, Constantin Meunier, Jules Raeymaeckers, among the attendees of the "Atelier Libre Saint-Luc" in Brussels from 1853 to 1863, then directed by Slingeneyer - an association of young painters gathered to work together. He exhibited for the first time at the Brussels Exhibition of 1857 where he showed three paintings "Joueurs", "Embuscade", and "Prêtre allant célébrer la Masse". At an 1860 show, he showed the great work "Les Cigognes", painted in 1858, "La Roulette" and a study called "Enfant de choeur" ; in 1863 "Solitude" shows the dead animal outstretched in the middle of a silent forest.
Associates
He considered as his friends: Courbet, Louis Artan, Felicien Rops, Constantin Meunier, Alfred Verwee, Joseph Coosemans. Alfred Verhaeren, Jean-François Taelemans, and Théodore Baron were his students, and Frans Van Leemputten followed his influence. Camille Lemonnier wrote: "Master Louis Dubois, I saved him for last, like a hot pepper for a bored palate. Zounds! What painting! I recognized the power of another with distinction." Edmond About said about him, "he was the most distinguished painter working in Belgium."
Legacy
Twenty-one of his paintings and those of his students were displayed at the 1880 Brussels Artistic and Literary Circle; and in 1891 at the Arts and Press Expo. His works were also displayed at the
1932, at the Brussels Fine Arts Palace, Retrospective of the Masters of La Societe Libre des Beaux-Arts, Artan, Dubois, De Grouz, Verwee, Meunier, Rops, Baron, Smits
1935 Brussels Universal and International Expo, "Five Centuries of Art".
The Brussels Museum has 15 of his works on display, Ixelles Fine Arts Museum displays 5 of his paintings, Charlier-Van Custen Museum, in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode displays 3 of his paintings, Gand Fine Arts Museum displays 3 of his works, Tournai Fine Arts Museum displays 3 of his paintings, Ostende Fine Arts Museum displayed 3 of his paintings that were destroyed during World War II,
