At the end of the war, he came back to Brussels. During this, the third period of his career, he earned distinctions as a painter in exhibitions in 1936 in Brussels and in 1937 in London (Burlington Gallery, displaying 125 paintings made over a 30-year period from 1907). He captured the modern tendencies of the European art, but was inspired by the great master like el Greco. Until the last years of his life, Santa Maria remained active and held many exhibitions of his works.