Little Denise

Théo van Rysselberghe was the leading Belgian Neo-Impressionist, a close associate of Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, and a tireless promoter of Pointillist technique through his leadership of the Les XX exhibition group in Brussels. 'Little Denise' (1889) is a portrait of a child — almost certainly a family member — rendered with the divided-color technique he had adopted from Seurat. Child portraits within the Neo-Impressionist manner are rare, and the combination of the technique's systematic dot application with the warmth of a family subject creates an interesting tension between scientific method and personal feeling.

Van Rysselberghe applies pure color dots according to Pointillist theory — optical mixing at a distance producing more luminous color than direct pigment blending. The child's face and form are built from carefully placed points of varying color, creating a vibrating surface that, seen from the correct distance, resolves into a convincing portrait. His control of the technique is evident in the coherence of the figure despite the mosaic-like application.