Lady in white (Mrs. Théo Van Rysselberghe) reading in the garden at Mortgat

Théo van Rysselberghe's 1904 painting of his wife Maria reading in their garden at Mortgat is one of the most beautiful examples of Belgian Neo-Impressionism in its domestic register. Van Rysselberghe was the leading Belgian Pointillist, a founding member of Les XX who had known Seurat personally and adapted his divisionist technique to subjects ranging from the sea to the elegant interiors and gardens of Brussels bourgeois life. The subject of a woman reading outdoors in dappled garden light was a perfect vehicle for the Neo-Impressionist's interest in the interaction of light and color, and the garden setting at Mortgat in Brittany allowed van Rysselberghe to unite his divisionist technique with the Breton coastal light he also loved. The work is now held at La Boverie in Liège.

Van Rysselberghe's mature Pointillist technique is applied here with exceptional refinement — the small, mosaic-like color touches of pure pigment building a field of broken light across the white-dressed figure, green garden, and dappled shadow with remarkable luminous unity. The optical mixing of complementary color dots creates a vibrating atmospheric field that is simultaneously decorative and scientifically motivated.