Still-Life of Roses

Fernand Toussaint was a renowned painter of female portraits, still lifes with flowers, and seascapes. He became the most gifted pupil of Jean Portaels at the Academy of Brussels between 1899 and 1894. He debuted early in his career at the "Salon des Artistes Français". Toussaint was also a member of the artistic circle "Le Sillon" and took part in several exhibitions organised by "La Libre Esthétique". In Paris, he met the Belgian painter Alfred Stevens who encouraged him to develop the art of the portrait of which he became so famous in this genre, especially thanks to his sensitivity to feminine poetry and the psychological dimension he achieved. Toussaint’s entire work reflects the influence of French Impressionism, his admiration for the tradition of English portraiture, and the Belgian Romantic tradition even as his own developed and so produced typical attractive works of art.