Art

Belgian School (20th century). Oriental Bathers by the Sea

At auction

H 90 × B 70 cm

Oil on canvas Unsigned A colourful depiction of bathers on a sunlit coast. Two standing women establish the vertical rhythm of the composition, while a reclining figure in the foreground provides a flowing counterpoint. Further back are other bathers and a seated woman wearing a dark veil. A coastal town with domes and slender towers appears on the horizon. The vivid blue of the sea contrasts with the golden-yellow beach and warm flesh tones. Simplified forms, clearly defined contours and broad areas of colour lend the painting a distinctly decorative character. The headscarves, the pitcher being carried and the distant architecture give the scene its Orientalist atmosphere. This twentieth-century work from the Belgian School appeals through its luminous colours and carefully composed arrangement of figures.