Portrait of the actress Stella van de Wiele

Mediums: oil, canvas.
Location: private collection.

This is one of the artist’s early paintings that refers to the period when he worked in the style of impressionism. At that time, Berghe was fond of the theory of “Luminism” – a late impressionist or even neo-impressionist style in painting, whose adherents paid great attention to lighting effects, often neglecting the form. The artist’s beloved actress Stella is depicted in a halo of light (like a halo, it is behind her head) and is surrounded by bright colours. The overall warm and very bright gamut justifies the vagueness of the shape of the figure and the fuzziness of the facial features of the model.