THE BEAUTIFUL HAT

Painter of portraits.

Belgium, in the late 19th Century and at the turn of the new century, showed a blossoming of talents, both artists and writers. They were ambitious but not pretentious, which meant that, instead of taking themselves to be geniuses from birth, they wisely turned to the great Masters for a solid grounding in the techniques of their trade.

The quality and extraordinary ‘presence’ of the painting we are exhibiting draws a great deal of attention. It shows an astonishing virtuosity in the representation of the human face. He has beautifylly scrutinized depth, contrast, luminosity and shading with a searching eye.

The artist has gone beyond the likeness, catching the essential character of his sitter. He clearly has made her feel at ease, so that the initial stiffness vanished, making room for relaxed and natural attitudes.