The Belgian Connection: Léon de Smet
Woman at the Mirror (Femme au miroir), 1915
Oil on canvas
68.2 × 50.6 cm
Auctioned in 2008 at Sotheby’s at ca. 50,000 GBP

Painted during Léon de Smet’s English exile in the First World War, Woman at the Mirror carries the soft radiance that defines his finest work from this period. De Smet, born in 1881 and shaped by the refined colour culture of the Flemish avant‑garde, belonged to the second Latem school and remained one of the few Belgian artists who held fast to Impressionism even as the European art world shifted around him. His arrival in Sint‑Martens‑Latem in 1907 had already revealed his remarkable craftsmanship: a painter with an instinctive feel for colour, placing loose, luminous strokes side by side to catch the trembling effects of light. Unlike his brother Gustave, whose path moved toward Expressionism, Léon allowed the manner of painting itself to become the true subject, letting atmosphere and chromatic nuance take precedence over narrative.

The war pushed him to England, where his talent was immediately recognised. London’s literary and social circles embraced his refined palette and gentle clarity, and he became a sought‑after portraitist, creating elegant images of writers, patrons, and members of high society. Woman at the Mirror belongs to this moment of visibility and transition. The woman, absorbed in her reflection, stands before an ornate gold mirror and console that add a quiet touch of elegance to the scene. A small vase of white flowers brightens the tabletop, giving the interior a tender, domestic note. Her red skirt anchors the composition with warmth, while the shimmering pointillist background creates a soft vibration of colour around her, making the whole room feel gently alive.

Her pose has a calm intimacy, as though she is caught in a moment of quiet preparation, unaware of the viewer’s presence. De Smet’s brushwork remains delicate and assured, each touch of colour placed with the quiet confidence of someone who understands how light can shape a mood. The palette—cool violets, warm creams, and gentle greens—creates a harmony that feels both domestic and slightly dreamlike, a small interior world held together by light.

After several years in England, de Smet eventually returned to Belgium, settling permanently in Deurle in 1930. Though he briefly explored Expressionism—no doubt influenced by Gustave—he soon returned to the Impressionistic voice that felt most natural to him, the one in which his sensitivity to colour and atmosphere could speak most clearly. Woman at the Mirror reflects that fidelity: a painting where light, gesture, and quiet introspection come together with a softness that feels both modern and deeply personal.