.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
In 1905 Van Rysselberghe spends several weeks in Veere. He must have loved this small town in Zeeland because the next year he returns to have a very productive time on the island Walcheren. In a letter to his friend Marie Closset he writes "Veere is de stilte zelf. Het is een arm klein uitgedoofd stadje, omringd door tegenwoordig verlaten water. 's Avonds lijkt het of je op een eilandje verloren verdwaalt bent'', (R. Feltkamp Theo van Rysselberghe, Tielt 2003, p.104).
The present lot is a clear example of the second bloom of Van Rysselberge's neo-impressionism. The silhouette of the houses on the quay and boats in the harbour are painted with soft but lively touches. The sky is depicted with the same subtle touch, but shows a softer light blue and pink palette. Although the technique strictly can be seen as divisionism, the look and feel clearly refer to the impressionism of for instance Monet and Sisley. The water and land in the foreground show broader short brushstrokes and much stronger colours, comparable with Signac's divionism. This loose technique clearly differs from van Rysselberghe's earlier pointillee.
The painting shows Van Rysselberge's interest in expressing an atmospheric effect. This is a somewhat new aspect within his oeuvre which can also be found in other examples from this period, for instance in Veere de Havenkom, zware bewolking (collection Kröller Müller Museum, Otterloo). The contrast between the two different techniques emphasises the difference between the tangibility of the earthly land and water and the elusiveness of weather
To be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné on the artist's work, currently being prepared by Pascal de Sadeleer and Olivier Bertrand for the Belgian Art Research Institute.
The present lot is a clear example of the second bloom of Van Rysselberge's neo-impressionism. The silhouette of the houses on the quay and boats in the harbour are painted with soft but lively touches. The sky is depicted with the same subtle touch, but shows a softer light blue and pink palette. Although the technique strictly can be seen as divisionism, the look and feel clearly refer to the impressionism of for instance Monet and Sisley. The water and land in the foreground show broader short brushstrokes and much stronger colours, comparable with Signac's divionism. This loose technique clearly differs from van Rysselberghe's earlier pointillee.
The painting shows Van Rysselberge's interest in expressing an atmospheric effect. This is a somewhat new aspect within his oeuvre which can also be found in other examples from this period, for instance in Veere de Havenkom, zware bewolking (collection Kröller Müller Museum, Otterloo). The contrast between the two different techniques emphasises the difference between the tangibility of the earthly land and water and the elusiveness of weather
To be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné on the artist's work, currently being prepared by Pascal de Sadeleer and Olivier Bertrand for the Belgian Art Research Institute.