Théo van Rysselberghe

A pointillist, graphic artist and sculptor. A bright representative of the Belgian painting of the late XIX century.

Was born into a wealthy family. His elder brother, Octave van Rysselberghe, was a famous architect.

Theo van Rysselberghe was a key figure in the development of avant-garde trends in Belgium and in maintaining cultural connections with France. He was one of the founders of the group “Les XX” (“Twenty”), which united innovators, who protested against outdated Academicism of that time and the limitations of art standards. Among the most prominent members of the association, there were James Ensor, Willie Finch, Fernand Knopff, and soon both Auguste Rodin and Paul Signac.

The artistic heritage of Theo van Rysselberghe is extremely diverse. Among his works, you can find exotic paintings depicting the inhabitants of Morocco, numerous portraits, landscapes with sailboats and nude women.

Key Ideas:

– The artist is known as a follower of the creative method of Georges Seurat, which was applied in the form of the applying of the dots of pure colors to a canvas. Beginning to paint in the strict traditions of Realism, the artist soon switched to more progressive methods of painting. His rather gloomy, mostly brownish-red and black palette becomes quite light, festive.

– Inspired by the theory of color relations of Georges Seurat, he worked in the style of pointillism for a long time, applying dotted brush strokes of pure undiluted color to canvases. The first work in the new style was the famous portrait of Alice Stern (1888), made in blue and golden tones.

– The artist opposed outdated Academicism and existing art standards.