Theo van Rysselberghe (1862-1926)
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Theo van Rysselberghe was a Belgian painter born in Ghent, Belgium and would become one of the greatest neo-Impressionists to have ever lived.. He received his training at the Academies de Ghent in Brussels, and exhibited there for the first time in 1881. Initially a Realist painter, after studying the works of the French Impressionists in the 1880’s, Rysselberghe formed a group of avant-garde intellectuals known as “Les-Vingt” (the twenty).
In 1886, he met and became friends with Georges Seurat and saw his now famous painting “A Sunday Afternoon at the Island of Grande Jatte.” This meeting turned Rysselberghe on to Pointillism, and he became the first to bring this new style of painting to Belgium. Rysselberghe abandoned Pointillism after Seurat’s death, and was highly criticized by friend and fellow painter Paul Signac for using the style in the first place. It is said that in Signac’s opinion, Rysselberghe only adopted Pointillism to bring himself commercial success.
Rysselberghe traveled quite extensively during his career, and visited Spain, North Africa, the Middle East and much of Europe. He finally settled in Paris in 1897. He also traveled several times to Morocco, which prompted him to paint exotic, Arabian compositions, and also ignited his obsession with the use of light. These paintings are extremely rare are some of only a very few Oriental scenes painted in the style of Pointillism. Rysselberghe completely stopped painting Oriental scenes after 1887.
Among his many landscapes and city scenes and interiors, Rysselberghe also painted many portraits, and continued to do so for the rest of his life. He was a talent scout and mentor for many other great artists, and was said to have helped Vincent van Gogh sell his only painting while he was alive. However, legend also has it that Rysselberghe made the mistake of his life in turning down the talents of a young Pablo Picasso, whose “blue period” work Rysselberghe called uninteresting and ugly.
Today, his work is housed all over the world, and perhaps in your own home. It is said that the majority of his works are in private collections, and are rarely seen, making it possible for just about anyone to own a piece of work by this great artist. Still wondering about a Dutch Pointillist painting in your family estate? Contact us…it could be by Theo van Rysselberghe.