The Belgian Connection: Théo van Rysselberghe
Three Girls in Blue (Trois Jeunes Filles en Bleu, 1901)
Oil on canvas
155 × 185 cm (61 × 72 7/8 in.)
Private collection

Théo van Rysselberghe’s Trois Jeunes Filles en Bleu portrays Helene, Michette, and Claude Guinotte, daughters of Léon Guinotte, a Belgian industrialist and philanthropist. The canvas radiates a gentle intimacy: the three sisters are bound together by the enveloping harmony of blue, yet each retains her own quiet presence.

Born in Ghent in 1862, Van Rysselberghe trained in Brussels and Paris, where he encountered the avant‑garde currents of Impressionism and Neo‑Impressionism. Inspired by Georges Seurat’s La Grande Jatte (1886), he adopted Divisionism and Pointillism, applying small touches of pure color to capture light with scientific precision. As a founding member of Les XX (Les Vingt), he introduced Seurat’s work to Belgium, helping to spark a new wave of modernist experimentation.

By 1900, Van Rysselberghe’s style had begun to soften. The strict dots gave way to broader, more fluid strokes, and his portraits gained a warmth that balanced analytical color theory with human presence. Trois Jeunes Filles en Bleu belongs to this transitional moment: its shimmering palette reflects divisionist sensitivity, while the freer handling of paint anticipates the painterly richness of his later Mediterranean works.

From 1911 until his death in 1926, Van Rysselberghe lived on the Côte d’Azur, where the southern light infused his portraits and landscapes with a luminous serenity. This painting, with its blend of scientific rigor and familial tenderness, stands as a testament to his ability to unite modernist innovation with the quiet poetry of everyday life.