Portrait of Alice Sèthe

Théo van Rysselberghe's portrait of Alice Sèthe, a member of the Belgian progressive bourgeoisie, was painted during his transition from conventional academic work toward Neo-Impressionism under the influence of Georges Seurat. Van Rysselberghe was a founding member of Les XX, the Belgian avant-garde exhibiting society, and Alice Sèthe was part of the progressive Brussels milieu that supported this group. The portrait is among his most sensitive psychological studies, capturing a young woman with the attentive intelligence that characterizes his finest figure work.

The portrait balances the pointillist touch van Rysselberghe was adopting with a recognition that portraiture requires some degree of direct physiognomic rendering. The face is handled with more tonal continuity than the dress or background; the overall color harmony of blue and warm gold is carefully calibrated.