Jan Toorop
This painting from 1900 by Dutch artist Jan Toorop uses a modern pointillist technique to portray a truly modern woman: Marie Jeanette de Lange. Born in Jakarta in 1865, where her father worked as an engineer, Marie Jeanette moved to the Netherlands at the age of 22 with her first husband. In Amsterdam she became connected with the city’s artistic circles, associating with figures such as George Hendrik Breitner and Isaac Israels. She later settled in The Hague, where Toorop painted her at her home.
At the time of the portrait, Marie Jeanette was chair of the Association for the Improvement of Women’s Clothing and an active participant in the Reform Movement, which advocated loose, hygienic garments that allowed women greater freedom of movement. Inspired in part by the 19th-century American “bloomers,” the movement attracted support from feminists, social reformers, and medical professionals alike. Their main concern was the health risks posed by the corset, whose tight lacing restricted breathing and movement and whose heavy structure placed strain on the body.
P.S. How well do you know the movements that followed Impressionism? Take our quiz and see if can you guess these Post-Impressionist painters!
P.P.S. The changing role of women in modern art and society is also reflected in our Women Artists and Women Artists vol. 2: 50 Postcards Sets, featuring groundbreaking artists from across art history.