The Academy and the Brush In the heart of Antwerp, a city steeped in the shadows of its great masters, Edward Dujardin began his long engagement with the visual arts. He sought his training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied under the guidance of Gustaf Wappers. This education was not merely a matter of technique but a lifelong commitment to the study of the human form. By 1841, he had transitioned from student to teacher, holding a position in figure drawing and placement at the academy that would remain his until his final days. He was a man deeply preoccupied with the mech…