How does Portrait of Irma Sèthe elucidate its Context?
In 1884 Van Rysselberghe was one of the founders of the avant-garde society of Les XX. Members of the group initially focused on Impressionism, but under the influence of Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, several of its members moved on, with many of them embracing Seurat's Pointillism. While Van Rysselberghe was not the first member of Les XX to produce work based on the guidelines set by Seurat, he nevertheless ended up with being to most committed to the latter, sticking with divisionism for the rest of his career. Today, Van Rysselberghe is considered one of the greatest Neo-Impressionists of the 19th century.Van Rysselberghe had previously mainly studied the old masters in search of solutions for the representation of light effects. He found a suitable solution after his acquaintance with Seurat, in the technique of the Divisionists.
In his Mademoiselle Alice Sèthe (1888) Van Rysselbergeh combined avant-garde technique with the Dutch realist approach. In that painting, he makes evident both the financial status of the Sèthe and their passion for music. In Portrait of Irma Sèthe (who was Alice's sister) Van Rysselberghe cemented his newly discovered style.
music Dutch realist Impressionism Irma Sèthe Georges Seurat Paul Signac Pointillism Irma Les XX Divisionists old masters Neo-Impressionists