Art

Belgian School (XX), Child with a Small Bird

At auction

H 70 × B 60 cm

Oil on canvas An intimate depiction of a child gazing intently at a bird with outstretched wings. The face is shown in profile, with pale cheeks and golden curls set against the dark background. The raised hand and the bird’s movement lend the scene a lively, almost narrative quality. The pink clothing, red beaded necklace and blue-green plumage provide subtle accents of colour within the warm palette. The painter combines clearly defined contours with freely applied brushstrokes in the hair and the folds of the fabric. Placed within the Belgian School of the nineteenth to twentieth century, the work derives its charm from the child’s concentrated gaze and the interplay between child and bird.