In July - Before Noon

Théo Van Rysselberghe initially painted in an Impressionistic style. That changed in 1886 when he saw Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte at an exhibition in Paris. This pointillist painting made such an impression on him that he also began painting with the pointillist technique, but with a distinctive, free style.

In July - Before Noon is a fine example of that. Here, Van Rysselberghe is mainly concerned with the depiction of the summery atmosphere and the bright light. The five women have no contact with each other and are all engaged in their own activity. This reinforces the atmosphere of peace and tranquility on this summer afternoon and lends the scene a timeless character.

Van Rysselberghe began this painting in the summer of 1889. The woman in the blue dress is Maria Monnom, with whom he would marry in the autumn. That summer, the Monnom family stayed in Thuin, in southern Belgium. The garden shown here is probably the orchard of the nearby Aulne Abbey.

We present today's painting thanks to the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo.  : )

If you would like to learn more about the Post-Impressionists (but in a nutshell), please check our Post-Impressionist 101 Course!

P.S. And here's all you need to know about the famous A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte!