.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Shortly after Van Looy returned to Amsterdam from his Prix de Rome voyage, when he was in his early thirties, the present painting was executed. It clearly shows the influence of Van Looy's teacher, Auguste Allebé (1838-1927), who for some time, when he himself was a young man, adhered to to the trend of the 'just milieu'. These painters adressed new themes, contemporary life scenes, in witty, ironical genrepieces.
In the present lot Van Looy succeeded in combining his admiration for the French Realist painters as Jean-François Millet (1814-1875) and Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) and his own interest for the anecdotal and somewhat sentimental element. Inspired by the French Realist painters, Van Looy executed this charming painting, which is unique in his oeuvre.
In the present lot Van Looy succeeded in combining his admiration for the French Realist painters as Jean-François Millet (1814-1875) and Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) and his own interest for the anecdotal and somewhat sentimental element. Inspired by the French Realist painters, Van Looy executed this charming painting, which is unique in his oeuvre.