Ferdinand Toussaint (1873-1956) - Portrait of an Elegant Flemish Woman

The painter’s virtuosity has made this work both a depiction of traditional Flemish life and a portrait of a woman of rare magnificence, whose beauty—combined with the choice of colors and textures—captivates the viewer. The texture of the dress and the colors are reminiscent of The Portrait of Brigida Spinola Doria, painted in 1606 by Peter Paul Rubens and housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
As a viewer, one is lost in the pure gaze of this woman.
The different planes also play on style. The realistic treatment of the woman contrasts sharply with the late Impressionist style of the background, accentuating the difference between the two scenes.
Fernand Toussaint is an iconic painter of the Belgian Belle Époque, whose work combines elegance, light, and refinement. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels, where he was trained notably by Jean-François Portaels, an influential academic painter.
Very early on, he embraced an artistic tradition blending bourgeois realism with that of the Belle Époque; indeed, according to Mario Vellani Marchi, he is the “undisputed master of feminine grace and charm.”

Dimensions with frame: 147 cm x 106 cm
Dimensions without frame: 110.5 cm x 71.5 cm