Georges De Geetere

This portrait invites us to a table set for lunch, facing a young woman. She appears to be looking at us, but the mirror to her left reflects the true object of her attention: a young bearded man, his features sketched in, who is none other than the artist Georges De Geetere, then aged 29. Here he depicts his partner Elisabeth De Roever, aged 22, whom he had just married in Brussels. Georges would paint Elisabeth on several occasions – another painting from the same year shows her in a similar composition, wearing the same white blouse with blue ribbons. The use of the mirror also introduces a third, unidentified figure: only the lower half of her body is visible, suggested by a long skirt and black shoes. Perhaps she is a domestic servant? In the past, this mysterious figure has been identified as the couple’s eldest daughter, but this hypothesis is ruled out by the date the painting was created, which predates her birth. De Geetere varies his painting style: he employs great finesse and delicacy to render Elisabeth’s face in detail, whilst the rest of the painting is executed in a very free Impressionist manner, occasionally allowing the canvas to show through. On large surfaces, such as the blouse or the tablecloth, De Geetere uses a palette knife, creating subtle textures that catch the light. The overall clarity is enhanced by the choice of tones, with De Geetere opting for a ‘symphony of whites and soft colours’, as one critic noted during an exhibition in April 1888. Japanese-inspired elements on the left, and the front page of the newspaper Le Soir, the final letters of which are just visible, place Le Déjeuner firmly within the aesthetic and cultural context of its time. Described as ‘fresh’ and ‘appetising’ in 1888, this painting ranks among the major works of Georges De Geetere, an artist now somewhat forgotten, who oscillated between an academic career (Grand Prix de Peinture de l’Académie de Bruxelles in 1884–1885) and a diversification of his activities (projects in earthenware and tapestry, and the creation and restoration of religious frescoes).

This translation has been automatically generated by DeepL.