portrait of jeanne kefer

8/21/2019 Portrait of Jeanne Kefer

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e r n a n d K h n o p f f

Portrait o f Jeanne Kfer


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e r n a n d K h n o p f f

Portrait

of

JeanneKfer

Michel Draguet

G E T T Y M U S E U M S T U D I E S O N A R T

Los

Angeles


5/116

2004 J. Paul Getty Trus t

Getty

Publications

1200 Getty Center Drive, Sui te 500

Los

Angeles,

California

90049-1682

www.getty.edu

Christopher Hudson, Publisher

Mark

Greenberg , Editor in

Chief

M o l l i e Holtman,SeriesEditor

Charlotte Eyerman, Curatorial Consultant

Michael

L omax, Translator

Fronia

W. Si mpson, Copy Editor

Jeffrey

Cohen, Designer

SuzanneWat son, Production Coordinator

L o u Meluso,

Ellen

Rosenbery, Photographers

Yvonne Szaf ran, Photographer, Microphotographs

Typography

by Diane Franco

Printed

i n chi na by Ima go

Library o f Congress

Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Draguet,

M i c h e l .

Fernand

K h n o p f f

: portrait of

Jeanne

Kfer/Michel Draguet.

p.

cm . (Getty Mus eum studies o n art )

ISBN 0-892 36-73 0-x (softcov er)

I.

Khnopff,

Fernand, 18581921.

Jeanne

fer

2.

Khnopff,

Fernand, 1858-1921

Criticism

and interpr etat ion. 3. Symb oli sm

( A r t

movement)Belgium. I T i t l e .

I I

Series.

N D 6 7 3 . K 4 A 5 4 2004

759.9493 dc 22

2003025850

A l l wor ks are reprod uced (and photog raphs

provided)

courtesy of the owners,

unless

otherwise indicated.

Figures 3, 4, 17, 25, 26, 47, and 68 were

taken f r o m Michel Draguet,

Khnopff:

Ou, l'ambigu

potique,

Monogr aphi es de l'art mo derne

(Ghent and Brussels, 1995).

Cover:

Fernand K h n o p f f (Belgian, 1858-1921),

Portrait

of

Jeanne

Kfer,

1885. Oi l on

canvas,

80 x 80 cm

(311/2

x

311/2

in .) . Los Angeles,

J. Paul Getty Museum, 79.PA.35.

Frontispiece:

Portrait

of Fernand

Khnopff.

Photograph,

ca. 1885-1887. Private collection.
http://www.getty.edu/http://www.getty.edu/


6/116

C O N T E N T S

I

A L i t t l e G i r l

at the Center o f the Avant- Garde

23 Pr od uci ng a Por t ra i t

81 The Por tr ait i n Perspect ive

97 Notes

108 Acknowledgments

Final page folds out, providing a reference color plate of the

Portrait of

Jeanne

K

fer


7/116


8/116

A L I T T L E

G I R L AT T H E

C E N T E R OF T H E A V A N T - G A R D E

igur

1

Fernand Khnopff

(Belgian,1858-1921),

Portrait

of

Jeanne Kefer,

1885 .

Oil oncanvas,

80 x80cm

(31V2

x

31V2 in.)

LosAngeles,

J.Paul Getty

Museum,

97.PA.35.

A

sma l l g i r l stands w i t h

her back to the doo r of a dr a wi ng r o o m i n a

bo ur ge oi s resi dence i n Brussels i n the 1880s

[ F I G U R E I ] .

He r

dress

and the setting t e l l us that she bel ongs to the pro spe rou s m i ddl e

class

that fo rm ed the bac kbone o f Be l g i u m , w h i c h h ad just celeb rated the

f i f

t i e t h anniversar y o f i ts independence

f r o m

the Net her l ands . Sober ly

dressed,

Jeanne

Kefer fixes her

eyes

on the spectator

w i t h

a n in te ns it y rar e fo r her age.

U n b o u n d b y

t ime ,

a chi na d o l l i n a coat o f fine mat e r i a l , she observes us w i t h

the s ame po we r as a Fa yu m po rt ra i t or a Byza ntine i c o n . Bu t she is nei th er

dead no r a saint. Indee d, her

pose

ref lec ts the everyday pra ctice o f the c o m

m e r c i a l

ph ot og ra ph er s w h o flourished at the

t i m e .

The

space

to

w h i c h

she

bel ong s is a t yp ica l Brussels

in te r io r :

de l ic a tely pa i n ted

wa l l s ,

a glass -paneled

door , a cur ta in

vis ib le

o n the other side of the door . Ev er yt hi ng

breathes

the

naturalness o f everyda y l i f e ; and yet fe w wo rk s have succeeded i n revea l ing

so m uc h

w i t h

such eco nomy of means.

M a g n i f i e d

b y Fer nand Khnopff ' s b r u s h , t he

l i t t l e

g i r l ' s

presence

is

first

o f a ll te st im ony to an adventure b eg un a year earli er i n Brussels: that o f

Les X X (T he T w e n t y ) , o r th e C erc le des X X

( C i r c l e

o f T w e n t y ) , a gr ou p of

avant-ga rde ar t is ts w h o ,

f r o m

1884 to 1893, ex hi bi te d wo rk s by ar tis ts

f ro m

across Eur ope chos en to incar nate the idea o f mo der ni ty , f r o m

James

M c N e i l l

W h i s t l e r

to Vi ncent van Gog h,

f r o m

Georges Seurat to

James

Ensor to Ma ur ic e

Denis .

Unde r the pa in te r ' s b ru sh Jeanne Kefer a lso em bodi es , th r ou gh the

s y m b o l i c

de pth o f the repres entat ion, a

ref lect ion

o n h u m a n

l i f e .

This s i mp le

Portrait ofJeanne Kefer is no s i m p l e

painting.

W h e n he pa i n ted the po r t r a i t o f Jeanne K ef er i n 1885 , F er na nd

Khnopff

1

already enjoyed a

sol id

rep uta tio n and a level o f

success

that ma de h i m

one o f the l ea ding figures o f the Brussels avant- garde. Des pit e his a ss oci at io n

w i t h Les XX , the mo de r ni t y that he defe nded was no t in te nde d to provo ke

1


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Figure

2

Fernand Khnopff,

Memory of Bruges:

Th e Entry to the

Beguinage,

1904.

Pastel

on paper,

27

x43.5 cm (10

5

/s

x

17Vain .). New York,

Hearn Family Trust.

discomfor t .

His social

status

gave h i m a po si ti on i n societ y that he used freel y

to

advance his career as a por tr ai t painter. His inte l l ige nce and his taste for

l i t e r a ture

plac ed h i m at the center of the new mo de r ni s m, w h i c h was taking

shape

i n the art jou rna ls and i n the

l i v e l y

Brussels salons and st udios o f his day

The son o f a magis trate

f r o m

an ol d aris tocratic

l i n e ,

Ferna nd-Edmo nd

Jean M a r i e

K h n o p f f

was b o r n o n Sep tem ber i , 185-8, at the fami ly ' s castle i n

Grembergen- l ez-Termonde , B e l g i u m . I n i8 60 the f a m i l y t oo k up residence i n

Bruges , wh er e his father had been ap poi nte d dep ut y pu bl ic prose cutor. They

stayed there

u n t i l

1864, re gul ar ly r et ur ni ng to the castle o f Gr em be rg en or, i n

summer, to their country property at

Fosset

i n the fores t of Ardennes .

O n Septemb er 7, i86 0 , Fernands younger brother Georges was b or n.

A l t h o u g h he was a poet, mu si ci an, mus ico log is t , and translator, Georges di d

no t

leave any real oeuvr e beh ind h i m . Perhaps because o f his lack o f out put , he

played

a pivota l r ole in his brother' s l i f e . A f r i end o f

Stephane

M a l l a r m e ,

Jules

Laforgue, and Emile Ver haer en,Georges was a confir med Wagneri an wh o b u i l t u p

a wi de net wor k o f contacts and ch am pi one d his brother' s

w o r k across

Europe.

A

p ro mo t i o n a n d t he

b i r t h

o f a

c h i l d ,

Ma rg ue ri te , on July i , 1865-,

occa sio ned the fami ly 's move to Brussels, where they set up h o u s e i n the ru e

Roya le ,

in one o f the ne w dis tr ict s fa vor ed by the Brussel s bo ur ge oi si e. Fer

na nd later ref use d to r et ur n to Brug es so that he c o ul d re ta in inta ct his c h i l d -

2


10/116

h o o d

i ma ge of the

city;

a

series

of wo rk s he pr odu ce d in 1902 reveal a ph an

to m cityscape dedicated sole ly to m em or y [ F I G U R E 2 ] . H is r e la t ionship w i t h

M a r g u e r i t e was a decisive factor i n

Fernand's

l i f e .

She soon

became

one o f his

favorite

model s , as were the Ma qu et sisters, youn g E n g l i s hw om e n

w i t h

w h o m

K h n o p f f

r em ai ned f r iends for ma ny years . M a r gue r i t e ' s features

w o u l d

be

com e part o f the fem ini ne ideal that K hnopf f was to create, i n the earl y 1880s,

f r o m a m i x t u r e o f Pre -R aph ael ite figures an d t h o s e f r o m w h a t at the t i me

was called

p r i m i t i v e

Flem ish pai nting , that i s , pa inti ng

f r o m

the fifteenth cen

tury.

M argue r i te was also her brother ' s col lab orator i n develo ping the co mp o

s i t ions for w h i c h , as we shall see, K h n o p f f tur ned to pho tog ra phy for he lp

[ F I G U R E S 3, 4] . I n the pri va cy o f the stu dio, she w o u l d dress in var ious cos

t u me s a nd pose for her bro the r wh e n he me th odi ca ll y pu t togeth er the eso

te r ic pai ntings that He r m a nn Bahr

w ou l d ca l l

l o g o g r i p h s

( w o r d

puz z l e s )

2

w h e n they were presen ted at the Vi enna

Secession.

igur

3

Fernand Khnopff,

Photograph

of

Marguerite Khnopff

Posing, ca. 1900,

for preparatory

version

of

ADreamer,

ca .1900.

Private

collection.

igur

4

Fernand Khnopff,

Photograph

of

Marguerite Khnopff

Posing, ca. 1900,

for preparatory

versionof

The

Black

Collar,

ca. 1906.

Private collection.

3


11/116

ONE HAS ON LY ON ES ELF

A

fter Fernand KhnopfT com pl ete d his

secondary

educ at io n at the Athenee

royale i n

Saint -Josse - ten-Noode ,

a s u b u r b o f Brussels , he enro ll ed, i n

1875-, i n the l a w fa cul ty o f the Free Univer sit y (Universi te li bre) of

Brussels.

His

taste

for pa int ing and lit eratur e was gr ow in g, and he wr ot e poe try and to ok

classes w i t h th e pa inte r Xavi er Me ll ery . I n 1876 the fam il y mo v ed to the

Luxe mbo urg d i s t r i c t o f Brussels, wh i c h inc l uded a sizable English colony,

a l l o w i n g

Fernand

to giv e free re in to his ang l op hi l e instinc ts and l ea ding

E m i l e Verh aer en to refer to h i m as a cl er gy ma n in the process of b ecom ing

a d a n d y

3

Aba ndoni ng his legal studies, Khno pf T enr ol l ed at the Aca dem ie des

Beaux-Arts i n

Brussels,

gr adu at ing i n 1879

w i t h

a t h i r d prize in hist orica l

composi t ion. The s u mme r s o f 1877, 1878, and 1879 were spent i n Paris c o m

p le t ing his tra ini ng by st udyi ng the wor ks o f the masters there. Hi s v i s i t to the

1878 Exp os i t io n univers e l l e pr ove d to be a tu rn i ng po int . The work s o f

Gustave

Moreau , Edward

Burne-Jones ,

a nd

A l f r e d

Stevens

l e f t

an inde li bl e

imp res si on on hi m , decisively orie nti ng his development. After a

year

i n Paris,

d u r i n g wh i ch he at tended the independent lectures o f Jules Lefeb vre and the

Acade mie Jul ian, KhnopfT ret ur ned to Be l gi um i n the s u m m e r o f 1880. I n

Fosset he pr odu ce d his f i r s t maj or wor k, a des ign for a mo num ent a l ce i l ing

4

igur

5

Fernand Khnopff,

On e

Has Only Onesel f

(O nn'a qu e soi).

Drawingfor the artist's

ex libris, 1892. India ink

onpaper, 8 x 6 cm

(3

VB

x

2% in.).

Brussels,

Bibliotheque

royale

Albert ler,

Cabinetdes estampes.


12/116

painting for the house o f h i s fr iend Leon Ho uy ou x

[ F I G U R E

6 ] . Exhib i ted i n

Fe br ua ry 1881 at the sa lo n o f

L'Essor,

a gr oup o f fo rm er

students

f r o m the

Aca dem ie des Beau x-Ar ts, the wo r k, w i t h i ts a l l egori ca l

subject matter ,

re

ceived a lu kew ar m recept ion f r o m the crit ics . A fe w

m o n t h s

later, K hnopf f s

canvas The Crisis

[ F I G U R E

7 ]

raised

the i re of the

conservative press

wh e n it

wa s

presen ted

at the Exposition

genera le

des Beaux-Ar ts o f Brussels.

igur 6

FernandKhnopff,

A Ceiling to Be

Completed on Site:

Painting, Music,

Poetr

1 8 8 0 .

Oil oncanvas,

320 x240 cm

(126 x 94V

2

in.).

Himeji

City Museum

of Art.

5


13/116


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T H E E M E R G E N C E O F T H E A V A N T - G A R D E

igur

7

FernandKhnopff,

The Crisis,

1887.

Oil

on

canvas,

114

x

175

cm (44

7

/s x

68

7

/s in .) . Brussels,

private collection.

7

w

ue

K hnopf f

was facing host il e

c r i t i c i s m ,

t wo ne w artistic and

li ter ary

r ev iew s L'A r t

Moderne a nd La

Jeune

Belgiquethat m a rk ed the

cultural

debate o f the t im e appeared i n Brussels . A m o ng the Belgi an art cr i t ics , the p oe t

Emi le

Verha eren referre d to Khno pf f ' s co nt ri bu ti on to the 1882 L'Essor salon.

Verhaeren, Georges K hn opf f ' s

f r i end , w ou l d

be the

first

to pr om ot e the wor k

o f

the y o u ng painter . I n Fer nand he detecte d a ne w sensi bi li ty that he desi g

nat ed as Sy mb ol is t as ea rl y as 1886 i n hi s first st udy o f the pa inter.

4

The Crisis [ F I G U R E 7] emb odie s an atti tude diss emina ted by LaJeune

Belgique,

the progress ive rev ie w headed by the young w r i t e r M a x Wall er. The

review,

spea king for the gro up o f the

s ame

nam e, so ug ht to flee rea li ty

w hi l e

expressi ng its rese ntment o f a w o r l d o f im po st ur e. Dis encha nted and prey to

the i l lu s ions o f real i ty , they pos i ted , mo de r n ma n s s his personal i ty engul fed

i n doub t and pess imi sm.

5

Tho ug ht turns meaningless ly,

h o l l o w i n g

out man 's

inner

psychic

space,

constantly

c i r c l ing

bac k on itself. For

Khnopff ,

the por

t rait is a

p r iv i l eged

place of inte rr oga tio n whe re the gaze o f the oth er is

mi xed

w i t h a search for one's o w n

identity.

Imp enet ra bl e, the face is also a pr om is e,

as the s ens it iv it y o f the Portrait ofJeanneKefer sh ows . C lo se d i n o n herself, a pri s

oner o f her

pose

and her

c l o t h ing ,

the

c h i l d speaks

her tru e

self

th ro ug h the

wa y she looks at the viewer.

Khnopff ' s

pa i n t ing en joyed

g r o w i n g

r e c ogn i t i o n i n

l i tera ry

and artis

ti c circles as his w o r k b ra nched out in var i ous direc ti ons . A l t h o u g h his

l i t e r

ary

endeavo rs inf l uenced i n par t i cula r by Gustave Fl au be rt d re w mu ch

un f a vo r a b l e c r i t i c i s m , his fa i t hful ness to the Fl em is h t r a d i t i o n o f pa i n t i n g ,

vis ib le

i n the

landscapes

and por tra its that he ex hi bi te d,

rap id ly

ma d e h i m one

o f

the mo st not ed figu res o f the Brussels ava nt-garde.

Given

hi s fam e, i t was on l y natural that he

w o u l d

take par t i n the

me et i ng co nvene d o n Oct ob er 23 , 1883, at the Taverne Gu il l au me , nex t do or to

the Musees ro ya ux des Beaux- Arts de Belg iqu e, i n response to the mu se um s'

refusa l to ha ng

James

Ensor' s Woman Eating Oysters. Th e p a i nt i ng h a d al re ady

bee n rejec ted at the An t we r p Salo n one year earli er. The dec is io n was made

to

secede

f r o m the Sal on. Les

X X

6

o r i g i n a l l y

jus t fifteen artists b ro ug ht

toget her pai nters and sculptor s of an avant-garde inc l ina t ion , such as

James

Ensor, th en the lea ding figure o f a mo der nis t style o f pa int ing nou ri sh ed b y

the F le mi sh t r a d i t i o n ; The o van Ryss e lberghe , w h o later

b e c a m e

the ba rd of

N e o - I m pr e s s i on i s m i n

B e l g i u m ;

a nd

K hnopf f ,

w h o was te mp te d mo re by the

l i tera ry

c i r c um vo l u t i on s o f S ym bo l i s m.

7


15/116

The ex hi bi ti ons o f Les XX stand ou t for their

f l e x i b i l i t y :

every year

three artists or ga niz ed the e x h i b i t i o n , w i t h a secreta ry l o o k i n g after the day-

to-day ma nage ment o f the assoc iat ion [ F I G U R E S 8, 9] . At the general mee t

ing ,

m e m b e r s

l i s t ed

th e Belgi an or

f o r e i g n

a r t i st s w h o

w o u l d

be

i n v i t e d

to

e x h i b i t

at the next sal on. Each artis t h u ng his o w n wo rk s ,

w i t h

the hanging

spaces

dr a wn by lot. The gr ou p decide d to

exhibit freely,

w i t h o u t any sel ecti on

or ha nging commi t tee , and to invite artists

f r o m

abroad w h o demonst rat ed

the

same

m o d e r n i s t spir i t .

After

s ome hes ita tio n, Octave Ma us , an atto rney

t r a i n i n g w i t h

Ed m on d P ica rd and a cof ounde r o f

L ' A r t

M oderne, fo r

w h i c h

he

w r o t e the articles on mu si c, was offer ed the pos it io n o f secretary. The re vi ew

very

qu ick l y

became

fa vorably disposed t ow a rd Les XX,w h i c h was rep res ented

by

a lo go desi gned by

K h n o p f f

h i m s e l f

[ F I G U R E

1 0 ] .

A n n oun c e d

several weeks i n adva nce i n

L ' A r t

Moderne, the

first

sa lon o f

Les XX op ene d its doo rs o n Feb ru ar y 1,1 884, at the Bruss els Pala is des Bea ux

igur

8

Viewof theFirst

Exhibitionof Les XX

in

1884.

Brussels,

Archives

de

I 'Art

Contemporain, Musees

royaux desBeaux-Arts

de Belgique,

4653 .

8


16/116

A r t s . B o r r o w i n g Ensor's pr i nc ip le of mul t i dis c ip l i nar i t y, Les XX org anized

accompanying lectures and concerts. In an ina ugu ra l lecture, Picar d identi fi ed

the young

group's

artistic policy, wh i c h was radicall y

opposed

both to the w o r l d

o f academ ici sm and to the Realist aesthetic.

Rather,

it saw i t s e l f as f o l l o w i n g a

national t ra di t ion or i ginal ly expressed by Peter Paul Rubens i n the

seventeenth

century.

8

Pica rd defi ned

three

pr inc ip l e s tha t

m e m b e r s

o f Les XX w o u l d

espouse: study o f the

nature

a nd

relevance

of the

subject;

a const antl y aler t

artistic sense; and perfect mas te ry o f the craf t

w i t h

proper respect for tradition.

From the

outset

Les XX a dop t i ng the program announced i n 1881

by L ' A r t Modernerejected na rr ow a t t achment to any one mo ve me nt or styl e.

Because Les XX was based i n

Brussels,

wh i c h was both an interna tiona l cross

roads

and the

center

of a mo der n natio nal identi ty, the gro up natur al ly

look ed towa rd Paris. As it devel oped, the cir cle demonst ra ted an infat ua tio n

f o r ce r ta in artists a nd m o v e m e n t s that, i n thei r eyes, incarnated mo der ni ty

Figure 9

Fernand Khnopff, Les

XX. On y va. Letter

from Fernand Khnopff

to Octave Maus, 1884.

Brussels, Archives

de I 'Art Contemporain,

M usees royaux des

Beaux-Arts de Belgique,

4625.

Figure 1

Fernand Khnopff, Poster

for the Eighth Exhibition

of Les XX in 1891.

Brussels, Bibliotheque

royale Albert ler ,

Cabinet des estampes,

SI 23258.

9


17/116

d la franchise: W hi s tl e r ( w h o m Les XX co ns ide re d Fr enc h) i n 1884, th en

Im pr es s i oni sm i n 1886 and Sy mb ol i s m i n the f igur e o f O d i l o n Redon , w h o

had a considera ble im pac t . I n 1887 Ne o-I mp res s i onis m impo se d i t sel f , do m i

na ti ng the m ov em en t to the end of the decade. At the be gi nni ng of the 1890s,

the source o f ins pi ra ti on shif ted to Engla nd. The ensui ng co ncer n w i t h the

renewal of decora t ive arts led, in 1893, to the dis so lu ti on o f Les X X and the

cr eat ion of La Li br e Est hetiqu e.

M U S I C

I N T H E S T U D I O

P

a int ed i n 1885 , th e Portrait of

Jeanne

Kefer is em bl em at ic o f the adv ent ur e

su r r ound ing the fo rm a t io n o f Les XX. Jeanne was b o r n i n Ixel les , a

s ub ur b o f Bruss els , on Dec em ber 14, 1880, the daughter o f the (s hort - l ived)

ma rr i ag e o f Me la n ie Anto ine t t e van den Broec k and Gustave Ke f er , w h o m

igur

11

Fernand

Khnopff,

Portrait

of

Gustave

Kefer, 1885 . Oil on

canvas, 24x10 cm

(9 V

2

x

3% in.).

Location

unknown.

Reproduced

fromR. L.Delevoy,

C.deCroes,and

G. Ollinger-Zinque,

Fernand Khnopff,2nd

ed . (Brussels,

1987) ,

p.

228, no. 74.

I O


18/116

K hnopf f pa inted i n prof i l e seated at his piano,

also

i n 1885

[ F I G U R E

I I ] . Bo rn

i n Jambes, near N a mu r , i n 185 ^, Gustave was th i r te en

years

yo ung er tha n his

brot her L ouis Kefer, w h o became the dir ect or of the Conser vato ire de Vervie rs.

A t

the Brusse l s Conse rva to ry , wher e he was enr o l l e d

f r o m

1867 to 1 877,

Gustave

fo l l ow ed

th e

courses

o f

Joseph

Du po nt and Louis Brassin, a disc ipl e o f

A n t o n R ubi nste in and one o f Ri cha rd Wagner's first defenders i n B e l g i u m .

9

A pianis t and conduct or , Gustave Kefe r f ou nd e d i n 1881 the A L B K

Qua rtet (the letters stand for Agni ez, Liegoi s, Buadot, and Kefer ) , w h i c h be

c a me k no wn for i t s regular concerts in artists ' studio s

[ F I G U R E

12 ]. I n 1882

he cof ounded the U ni o n Inst rum enta le , wh i c h f o l l o w e d the same pol icy , play

i ng also at the Mu si ca l Mo nday s org aniz ed by Anna Boc h,

1 0

th e daughter o f a

wea l thy pot te ry owne r

f r o m

La Lou vi er e, at her

house

i n Brussels. I t is mo s t

l i k e l y there tha t Kefer and h is ins t ru me nta l i s t f r iends

b e c ame

clos ely ac

qua in ted w i t h the capital 's l i te ra ry and artistic intel l ig entsi a . Regul ar attendees

at

these

Monda ys inc l ude d one o f Anna Boch's cousins, Octave Maus , the

sec

ret ary o f Les XX .Perhaps Ma us was the l i n k un i t i ng Kefe r w i t h the cir cl e o f

Anna

Boch and, through them, w i t h th e avant-garde mov em ent that was tak ing

shape i n Brussels. Maus ,

Gustave's

junior by one year, also f o l l o w e d Brassin's

igur

12

Photograph

of

Marie

Sethe outside

Her Parental Home

Surroundedby Her

Family andMusicians.

Gustave Kefer

is

seated

to her

right

in

the frontrow.

Private collection.

I


19/116

igur

13

Program

of the

Brahms

Session

Organized

by

the

Pianist Gustave

KeferonApril27,

1 8 8 3 , inBrussels, with

an Original Drawing

by Fernand

Khnopff.

Vienna, Archiv

der Gesellschaft

der

Musikfreunde.

p i a n o courses , re taining his

master 's

f e ver i s h c o m m i t

me nt to Wagner, w h i c h w o u l d ma rk h i s o wn mus ica l

aes

t h e t i c

1 1

As the l ea di ng figure o f the U n i o n ins trumentale ,

Gustave Kefer m o ve d i n the same circ les as the pa int ers

u n i t e d

under the

aegis

o f Les XX . I n 1883 the ens em bl e

ina ug ur at ed concerts sp onso red b y L'Essor. A clear co n

n e c t i o n

exists be twe en Kefer and Ferna nd

K hnopf f

be g i n

ning

i n this ina ug ur al year. K h n o p f f p ro vi ded the layout

and ill ust rat ions for the inv i t a t ion to a conc ert o f mus ic

by Johannes

Bra hms or ga nize d by L 'Essor o n A p r i l 27

[ F I G U R E 13] .

1 2

O n Febru ar y 14, 1884, Les X X i n

t u r n

called

o n Kefer to ina ug ur at e its o w n concert pro gr a m at the

Palais des Beaux-Arts,

1 3

w i t h solo renditi ons o f wo rk s by

Giuseppe Dom eni co Scar latt i ,

A d o l f Jensen,

Edvard Gri eg ,

and R ubi nst ein as

w e l l

as a pi ano tr ans pos iti on by Brassin

o f Wa gner ' s Ride of theValkyries.The cr i t ica l reviews speak o f

Kefer

as a

powerfu l

p layer i n the Wa gner ia n register.

1 4

I n her 1926 me mo ir s , Madele ine-Octave Maus is

less

tha n enthusiasti c about

these first

conce rts at Les X X ,

whos e program s , i n he r eyes, were not i n keep ing w i t h

the innova tiv e al lur e o f the Salo n.

1 5

Kefer s m em or y w o u l d

i n any event be unable to h o l d its o w n against the

ener

geti c a nd decis ive

ac t iv i t y

o f Eugene Ysaye, a com pos er,

conductor , and v io l in i s t , w h o soo n im po se d hims e lf .

Kefer

s presence at the Les X X conc ert s wa s no t

l i m i t e d

to this

first

year. O n Feb rua ry 26 , 1887, the mu si ca l

per for ma nce was devo ted enti re l y to wor ks by Loui s and

Gustave Kefer.

1 6

A c c o r d i n g to L ' A r t Moderne, th e co nc er t

attr acte d an au dience o f ab out

five

h u n d r e d . D u r i n g a

Febr uar y 1890 conce rt sp onso red by Les XX , Gustave Kefer

attested to his

l i tera ry

affinities as a com pos er

1 7

by setting

to mus ic several poems , a mo ng th em Rel igiou s Eveni ng

(Soi r

r e l i g i e u x ) f r o m

hi s f r i e n d Emi le Verhaeren ' s

co l

l e c t i o n

The Monks (Les Moines ).

By

1890, the concer ts o f Les X X wer e be in g or

ga niz ed by Eugene Ysa ye, w h o gave less ti m e to Kefer.

Kefer

no lo nger a p p e a re d on the prog ra ms , w h i c h were

n o w

dire c ted to wa rd the yo un g Frenc h schoo l . At the

12


20/116

s t r ic t ly

anecdota l le vel , thi s 1890 co nce rt is nonethe les s interesti ng. It i n

cluded, alongside

those

o f Kefer, wo rk s by Leon Soubre, wh i c h the latter, a

teacher at the

Brussels

Conservatory, inter pret ed on the piano. Thi rte en years

later, on A p r i l 29, 1903, in Ixel les , his son Lou is Soubre was to ma rr y Jeanne

Kefer (t hey div or ce d i n 1911).

Accord ing

to

m e m b e r s

o f the f a m i l y ,

Jeanne

play ed an active rol e i n

the his to ry of Les XX wh e n, i n 1891, Ma us deci ded to fou nd a voca l ensemble

w o r k i n g

specially for its concerts.

1 8

Jeanne was one o f the twent y or so wo m e n

and girls w h o met regula rly on Wednesday evenings at Anna Boch's h o u s e to

rehearse, under the dir ect io n o f

Soubre

and accompan ied o n the pi a no by M aus.

From 1881 through the early

1890s,

Gustave Kefer appears l i n ke d

w i t h

the Brussels avant-garde. His friendship

w i t h

Verhaer en pl aced h i m at the center

o f l i te r a ry l i f e . Close to the producers o f La

Jeune

Belgique and L ' A r t Moderne, he

became fr iendly w i t h such writers as

Georges

Eek hou d and

Eugene

Demolder.

Demolde r dedicated a st ory to Kefer in his co l l ect io n The

Slaughter

of the Innocents

(L a

Massacre des innocents).

1 9

Th e musicians were jo ine d by painters . Thro ugh

Verhaeren, Kefer b e c ame friends w i t h W i l l y Schlobach, a fo undi ng m e m b e r

Figure 14

Willy Schlobach

(Belgian,

1864-1951),

Th e

Cliff,

1887.

Oil on canvas, 32

x

40 cm (12%

x

15%

in.). Private collection.

Photograph courtesy

Henry Bounnameaux.

13


21/116


22/116

o f Les XX , a pa int er w i t h f requent ly cha ng ing s o u rc e s o f i n s p i r a t i o n [ F I G

U R E 14] . I n 1887 Sch lo bac h dedi cat ed to Kefer a

landscape

pa in ted

un d e r

the

infl uence o f Cla ude M one t.

Despi te gaps i n the arch iva l evidence, i t seems lo gica l to

suppose

that

Gustave Kefer and Fernand K hn opf f were closely associated, w i t h th e

painter ' s

bro the r Louis proba bly pl ayi ng the role of inter media ry. I n addi ti on, Kefer was a

f r iend o f

Verhaeren's ,

and the

poe t

was as co nf ir me d a Wa gner ia n as the pianist .

Bot h o f th em gra vitated tow a rd LaJeune Belaique, f re qu en ti ng the same circles.

K hn opf f shared thei r

en thus iasm

f or musi c and poetry. This

close

fri endship be

twe en the

K hn opf f

brot her s and Ver haer en is set i n bo th

Brussels

a nd

Fosset,

the l i t t l e vil la ge i n the Ardenne s w he re the Khnopffs had their

s u m m e r

re s i

dence. Fernanda representation o f reali ty th ro ug h

landscapes

and s t i l l lifes testi

fies to a

sense

o f medi t a t i on and i n t e r i o r i t y

c lose

to Verhaeren's poet ry o f this

period.

The cli mat e o f sull en me la nch ol y that

haun t s

Gustave Kefer's set ting

o f Verhaeren's Rel ig ious Evening mi rr or s the neurot i c gri sa i l le tones o f

K hnopf f ' s pa i nt i ng The Crisis [ F I G U R E 7] . A yea rni ng for the meta physi cal and

dispossession

o f the self can be fo un d i n

each.

K h n o p f f s

bonds

w i t h music

appear

to t i ght en a r ou nd the

years

1883 to 1885 . I n a dd i t i o n to the po r tr a it s

o f Jeanne a nd Gustave Kefer,

K h n o p f f

a l so dep ic te d the

v i o l i n i s t A c h i l l e

L e r m i n i a u x ,

anothe r

me mb er of the U ni on inst rum enta le . But the closest tie

w i t h

the

w o r l d

o f mus ic i n Khnopf f ' s oeuvre is pr oba bl y to be fou nd i n a psy

chol ogic al portr ai t o f his mo th er that he painte d in 1883. I

n

While Listening to

Schumann [ F I G U R E I ^ ] the painte r sought to por tra y the effect o f mus ic, w h i c h

he symb oliz es by equa ting hear ing w i t h v i s i on and medi t a t i on w i t h social

act iv i ty . The wo r k , w h i c h Ver haer en ref err ed to as a s tu dy of the s oul ,

2 0

reflects the sugges t ive power s that

K h n o p f f

attribut es to mus ic. Mu si c gives

b i r t h

to an inte r i or v i s ion i n wh i c h the

w o r l d

o f conf l ict di sp l ay ed i n The Crisis

is res olv ed i n aes the t i c

sensa t ion .

2 1

Verhae ren

a d d e d

to this a di m en s io n of

m e l a n c h o l i c

retreat.

For h i m , the wo r k

carries

the viewer beyond exterior things, reflecting an

aspect

of the

conte mpo ra ry soul. It is onl y i n the

past

fe w years that we have l i s

tened to music i n this wa y no t from a

sense

o fpleasure, bu t w i t h

me dita tio n. The effect o f art, o f our a rt, is to help produc e a

vague

attraction toward a sad, serious ideal.

2 2

I n th is way, the idea o f mu si ca li ty is pos it ed at the hea r t o f Khno pf fs wor k ,

su ppo rt ing the idea of sol i tude that , i n

a n o the r

register, was to

leave

its m ar k

igur 15

Fernand Khnopff,

While

Listening to

Schumann, 1883.

Oilon

canvas,

101.5

x

116.5

cm (40

x

45

7

/s

in . ) .

Brussels, Musees

royaux desBeaux-Arts

de Belgique.

l

5


23/116

igur

16

Fernand

Khnopff,

Portrait

of

AchiHe

Lerminiaux,

1885.

Oiloncanvas, 16x

16 cm (6V4

x

6VAin.)

Amsterdam,

Van Gogh

Museum.

on Symbol i s t port ra i t pa i nt ing as demonstr a ted i n h is depi ct i on of

Jeanne

Kefer [ F I G U R E I ] .

The port ra i t o fJeanne Kefer invit es the vi ewe r to witne ss th e gra dual

f o r m u l a t i o n

o f p ic t o r i a l S ym bo l i sm. One year before such wri te rs as Jean

Morea s ,

Gustave

Kahn, and Emi le Verhaeren set out thei r the ory o f Sym bol is m,

K hnopf f wri tes about this wi de ni ng o f real i ty to incl ude the realm s o f a dr ea m

that is indis tingui sha ble f r o m l i f e .

2 3

The f orm ula Verhaeren used in 1886, pr e

cisely i n reference to Khnopff,

sums

up a

step

that he describes in decisive wo rds :

For persons want in g to define the dom ina nt lines of the new

school: Nature seen thr oug h a tempe ram ent is the famous for

mula of Natural ism. Temperament seen through nature and even

without nature would

appear

to be that o f the innova tor s. The

16


24/116

poles have been reversed. Real ity and the br a in are the tw o players

i n any art.W h i c h of them w i l l dominate? Naturalism answers that

the brain should serve solely to render the realities o f nature. S ym

bol i sm

answers that nature is no mor e than a ha ndm ai d for ren

dering the dreams of the brain.

2 4

Cerebral , but

based

o n an intens e sensi tivi ty, Sy m bo l i s m testifies to a desire to

tra nscend re al ity that invol ves , no t the evoc at io n o f an idea l els ewhere, bu t a

ne w readi ng of the

here

a nd now . I n thi s cont ex t the Portrait ofJeanne Kefer is

decis ive , as i t i s th ro ug h th is a t

first

g lance convent iona l rep re sen ta t ion of

a young g i r l that

K h n o p f f sets

the

basis

for his concept o f the port ra it , w h i c h

w i l l soo n be accepted as the criter ia for Sym bol is t por tr ai t pa inti ng.

I n

a ddi ti on to a po rt ra it o f his father pai nted in 1881,those of Gusta ve

Kefer

a nd

A ch i l l e

L e r m i n i a u x [ F I G U R E 16] are a m on g the

first

por trai ts pai nt

ed by K hnopf f . Their sma ll fo r m a ts 2 4 by 19 centimeters and 16 by 16 cen

t ime te r s , r e s pec t i ve l yr emov e any

poss ib i l i ty

that they wer e pa int ed o n

c om m i s s i on .

Perhaps

they wer e sketch ed du r i ng a st udi o reci tal or a concer t

at the Brussels Cercle

Ar t i s t i que

et Litte rai re to w h i c h bo th mus ic ians ,

like

K hnopf f , bel onge d. Unless , that is , the depi cti ons were m a d e at the Bra hm s

evening orga nize d i n 1883 (wh os e

invita t ion Khnop ff

des ig ned) or at one o f

the first t w o conc ert s s po nso re d b y Les X X i n 1884. Th e la ck o f deta il a nd t he

summary se tt ings a lso

suggest

such an i n f o r m a l

or ig in.

The same cannot be said of the port ra it o fJeanne, w h i c h , because o f

i t s size a nd the

qua l i ty

o f its exe cut ion, was im me di at el y rec ogni zed as a

m a j o r w o r k . This is evi dent by the

list

o f exhib i t io ns in w h i c h the painter h i m

self in c l u de d it . Fir st a nno un ce d fo r the S al on o f Les X X i n 1885 , it was no t

e x h i b i t e d there, as

Khnopff ,

shor t of ti me , canceled his pa rt ic ip at io n at the last

m i n u t e .

2 5

I t d i d

appear

at the 1886 sa lo n

2 6

and then, one year later, at

Antwerp ,

as par t of L ' A r t Independant.

27

Once rec ogni zed, the po rt ra it we nt on an inter

na t iona l jou rney , be in g s h o wn at the 1892 e x h i b i t i o n o f Lo ndon' s Society of

Portra i t Painters ,

2 8

then, i n 18 96 -9 7, at Florence 's

Festa

de l l 'A r t e et dei F i o r i ,

2 9

before be ing incl ude d i n the

M u n i c h Secession's

annual e x h i b i t i o n in 1898.

3 0

A p p l a u d e d b y criti cs at ex hi bi ti ons , the pai nti ng also figured i n the m a i n stud

ies devoted to K hnopf f .

3 1

Thi s rec urr ence is si gnif ica nt gi ve n that they were all

w r i t t e n u nder the painter 's a ttentive su per vis ion. Al l the authors praise this

p a i n t i n g

for i ts tech nica l mas tery

w o r t h y

o f the

p r i m i t i v e

F l e m i s h

masters

w h o were

on l y

t hen bei ng rediscover ed. The authors

w r i t e

that they

sense

that

an o r ig ina l fo r m o f S ym bo l i s m , d i vo r c e d f r o m a ny esoter ic concerns, is ab out

t o be expressed. In this wa y the pa int ing

takes

its place bo th as an im po rt a nt

17


25/116

milestone in K hnopf f s oeu vr e and as evi dence o f his c on

t r i b u t i o n to fin-de-siecle art.

W H I S T L E R I N B R U S S E L S

18

A

w e l l

as demons tra ting the bonds between Khnopff

a nd the Brusse l s m u s i c a l w o r l d o f the late 1800s ,

the Portrait ofJeanne Kefer reveals the e n t h u s i a s ms o f Les

X X . W i t h its do m in a nt gray, blu e, and gree n ha rm oni es

and its m e a s u r e d b r u s h w o r k , t h e p o r t r a i t demonstrates

the pr of ou nd, th ou gh short - l i ved, inf luence exerc ised by

James

M c N e i l l Wh is t l er on the Brussels avant-garde.

I n 1884 an d aga in i n 1886 an d 1888, the wo r k o f

W h i s t l e r

w h o had alre ady m a d e an im pa ct on a nu m

ber o f artists of the earlier gene ra tio n, s uch as A l f r e d

S t e v e n s w a s

ex hi bi te d at Les XX ' s sa lon. I n 1884 he

s im ul taneou sly impress ed several pa inters ,

3 2

ch i e f am ong

th em Khnopff , bo th w i t h h i s i co nogr aph y and w i t h his

pa i nt ha ndl ing , w h i c h were dom in at ed by the idea o f

musicali ty. W i t h Rose and Japanese Fan [ F I G U R E 17], pai nted

about 1885,

K hnopf f

pays his debt to the fas hi on f or

Japanese

art by pi ck in g up the sym bol ic tools of Whis tle r ' s

Symphony i n Wh i te , No. 2: The L i t t l e White G i r l [ F I G U R E 18].

The Portrait ofJeanne Kefer i n tu r n reveals a mo re funda

menta l re la t ionship w i t h Whistler.

I n

the early

1880s

Whi st le r was l oo ki ng for a

stage, w h i c h E n g l a n d

a p p e a r e d

to deny h i m after his

d i s a s t ro u s l i b e l s u i t aga ins t John Rus k in . A l th ou gh the

pa inter w o n the lawsui t , cour t costs forced h i m to declare

bankruptcy. Deser ting a nationa l scene that i n his eyes was

too nar row , he entered the inte rna ti ona l arena, r i d i n g the

Secessionist wave o f the end o f the cent ury .

3 3

This pr oba

bl y expla ins the w a r m re ce pti on he enjoye d i n Brussels. I n

t h e w o r k s W h i s t l e r e x h i b i t e d there i n 1884,

3 4

the young

painters discov ered the

f u l l

pa l e t te o f Whi s t l e r ' s i m a g i

n a r y w o r l d : t h e m e l a n c h o l y s lackness o f The L i t t l e White

G i r l , the mus ica l ha rm oni es o f the No ctu rne s , and the

mas tery o f the settings, bot h s o m b e r a nd recherche, i n the

igur

17

Fernand Khnopff,

Rose and Japanese

Fa nor Flowers,

ca .

1885 .

Oil on

canvas,50x 25.5 cm

( 1 9 %

x

10 in.).

Private

collection.

igur 18

James McNeill Whistler

(American,1 8 3 4 -

19 0 3 ) , Symphony in

White,

No .2: The

Little White Girl,

1864.

Oil

on

canvas,

76

x

51cm (30x 20Vs in.).

London,Tate Picture

Gallery, N03418/112.


26/116


27/116

port ra i t s in c l ude d under the generic ca tegor y of a r r a n g e me n t s . T h r o u g h

Whis tler , the Bel gian painters dis covere d a science o f h a r m o n y based o n th e

mu si ca l use of the palette.

Light

casts this unity into a

series

o f balanced cho rds

o f tones ,

t ints , l ines , and

shapes .

T h r o u g h h i s s y m p h o n i c c o m p o s i t i o n s ,

W h i s t l e r o p e n e d the way to an Im pr es si oni sm that m ov ed be yo nd the fra me

w o r k o f Rea lis m to lay the foundat ions o f a Sy mb ol is m that encompasses both

landscapes

and port ra i ture : wi tness Jeanne Kefer, ap pea ri ng al l i n bl ue and gray

i n Khnopff 's port ra i t .

Like

music , Whist ler ' s wor k emphasizes an interior reali ty

that goes be yo nd the si mpl e tra nsl ati on o f the object seen by the artist , subli

ma t ing i t i n to deco ra t ion . Jo r i s -Ka r l Huysm ans speaks o f this i n an

essay

o f

1883 pub li sh ed i n

L ' A r t

Moderne the f o l l o w i n g year:

Invincibly, our minds turn to [Thomas De] Quincey's [English author

o f Confessions of an English Opium-Eater] artificial paradises, to those river-

scapes, to those

f l u i d ,

opium-induced dreams. In their pale gold

frames, w i t h their blue-turquoise vermicelli and dotted w i t h silver,

these

sites

of air and water flee into the

infinite,

transporting you

into

a magic yet natural world, evoking countries beyond reality, call

ing on the m i n d to travel, suggestive of pampe ring w i t h strange

impressions.

3 5

Impres s ions deri ve not f r o m what is seen but f r o m the ima g ina t ion , wh i c h

me t a mo rp h o s e s r eal ity in to the rea lm o f artifice . For Whi st le r, this artif ice is n o

i l l u s ion ,

but the transp osi tio n int o an idea liz ed m ode o f a spl inter ed reali ty

that can never be redu ced to pur el y natur ali sti c tr ans cr ip tio n. The idea of the

series plays a key role here. I n bo th port ra i t s and

landscapes,

constant ly re tu rn

i ng to the same

faces

or the same places, the painter moves bey ond o ut wa r d

appearances to

seize

the indeci pher abl e that rises up ou t o f the subject i n fr ont

o f

h i m . B e y o n d appearance there

c o me s

i nto bei ng a mea ning bas ed less o n

the subject i n itself than on the ha rm ony i ntr odu ce d i n the ima ge. As Wh is tl er

stated i n his

essay

R ed Ra g : As mu si c is the po et ry of so und, so is pa in ti ng

the po etr y o f sight, and the subje ct-m atter has no th i ng to do w i t h the har mo ny

o f sounds

or o f co lou rs .

3 6

Is it not

here

that K hnopf f finds a pr inc ip le that an imates wha t is

essential i n his port ra it pa int ing and that justifies the gap, howe ver sma ll , that

separates each m o d e l

f r o m

its pai nted representat ion? Does thi s m ea n that th e

por tr ai t exists onl y i n the idea o f

series

and, th ro ug h this idea, i n the

progress

induc ed by repet i t ion? Fr om Jeanne Kefer [ F I G U R E I ] i n 1885 to ^ r u m L i l y [see

F I G U R E 76 ] , pa i nted ten years later, via the por tr ai t o f his sister Margue r i t e

20


28/116

[see F I G U R E 7 5 ] , K hnopf f devel oped the same staging of the wo m a n he rep

resents, passing, gradua l ly and methodica l l y , f r o m her fami l ia r appearance to

her dreamlike metaphor ,

f r o m

rea li ty to sy mb ol .

D u r i n g

th is sh i f t , the sy mb ol i s m

b e c o me s

visi ble i n the alche my o f

sensations that tur ns the im age i nt o the absolute that Ver haer en defi ned i n L ' A r t

Moderne as the a tt em pt to dr a w across one's bra in [w ha t the eye has seized o f

r ea l i t y ] a nd to co l or it i n the wa y it feels and im ag ine s.

3 7

T hr oug h Whi s t l e r ,

the the or y o f art for

art 's s a k e a

no t i o n that was at the very basis of t he

A m e r i c a n painter ' s aes the t ic s

3 8

reappears and is de fe nde d by LaJeune Belgique.

The Portrait ofJeanne Kefer co nst it ut es i n thi s wa y the first stage o f a process that

g r a d u a l l y detaches

i t s e l f f r om

m at er ia l rea li ty to te nd to wa r d wh a t are for

Verhaeren

s u p e rb

nonrea l i t ies . I t sets the

stage

for a process o f abs traction

that, through the senses, provides us w i t h on e o f the first def ini tio ns o f the

developi ng Symbol i s t

a pp r oa c h .

Khnopff , l ike Whi s t l e r , reveals h i m s e l f

here

as a pa inter of the im ma ter ia l , a har moni ous arranger, an evoker o f beings

a nd personages ,

3 9

to use

Verhaeren's

descri p t ion of the Ame ri ca n f r o m w h o m

K hnopf f

b or ro wed som ethi ng of h i s

science

o f the image,

based

enti re ly on

the inst r umenta l iz a t i on of shapes and c olor s.

Whis tle r' s expl osi on onto the Belgi an art scene exercised a pr of ou nd

albei t sh ort - l ive d influ ence , w h i c h we sha l l re t ur n to la ter . Tur ned do w n

i n his attempt to j o i n Les XX, he lost mos t of his pre domi nance wh e n Ne o-

I m p r e s s i o n i s m i m p o s e d i t s e l f i n 1887 as the sole exp res s ion o f mode rn i t y

i n painting. Us ing

l ight

to orchestrate color, the Pointi ll ist tech nique sup por ted

by Seurat 's c h r o m o - l u m i n i s t

s y s t e m

w o u l d

never have

taken ro ot i n

Brussels

had not Whi stl er ' s exa mpl e pr oduc ed, betwe en 1884 and 1886, this m us i -

ca li za tio n o f pa in ti ng that the Portrait ofJeanne Kefer set ou t to ex em pl if y.

The painting that

K hnopf f

pr od uc e d i n 1885

reveals

th e

issues

d o m i

nating artistic debate i n

Brussels

at the ti me Wh is tl er was ex hi bi te d at Les XX.

The fu ndam ent al objec tive was to mo ve be yo nd Re ali sm by orc hes tra ting

h a rmo n i e s so as to ma k e the im ag e a se lf -co ntai ned t ru th , and, at the same

t ime ,

th ro ug h a sensi bi l i ty that wen t be yond the exactitude o f appearances, to

m o v e deeper i nt o a re al it y that was

dependent less

on its vis ual

represen ta

t i o n than on the psy chol ogi cal under sta nding o f

i t .

4 0

Beyond the ec lecti cism

o f styles a nd m a n n e r s , the sensa t ion o f psy cho lo gic a l penet ra t io n was to

cons tit ute f or Verha eren one of the characteristics o f the Sy mb ol is m that he

he lped fo rmu l a te , f r o m 1886 on wa r d, in his articles on Khno pf f. I n Wh is tl er

a nd

K hnopf f

w e

find

the

s ame

sea rch

for the ineff abl e, mo r e in

n u a n c e

th an

i n dogma, as i f the exteri or mo der ni t y

4 1

wh i c h Verhaeren also hel ped

t o d e f i n e w a s e c h o e d b y a n i n t e r i o r m o d e r n i t y m a d e up o f s ensat ion

21


29/116

a nd

ideas,

o f i n t u i t i o n a nd concept s . This Sym bol i s m, wh i ch magn i f ie s the

Portrait of

Jeanne

Kefer, f o l l o w e d na tura l ly f r o m t he m o de l o f Wh is tl er as the poet

Stephane

Ma l la rm e had occasion t o define it i n his inte rpr eta tio n o f Whi stl er ' s

Ten o'cl ock l ect ur e:

Starting f r o m the thing as

seen,

heard, to uched and

tasted,

to evoke

i t

and summa ri ze it by the idea. . . . The sy mb ol

thus

constantly

purifies itself, th rough an evocation, into an idea: a subl ima ted object

o f perceptions and sensations, not demonstr ati ng bu t suggesting. It

is the death o f al l conti ngency, al l fact, all detai l. It is the highest

expression o f art and the most s piri tual ist expression possi ble.

42

Sym bo li sm , as Verhaeren proposes i t , def ines the mo de rn i ty of Khnopff ' s

oeuv re. I n the early

1880s

this took the f o r m o f a series o f p a i n t i n g s l a n d

scapes, s t i l l

l i f e s , a nd por tra i ts i n wh i c h the pr i nc ipl e of sugges t ion

imposes

itself,

free

f r o m

strict mi m et i c repre sentat ion. Th e Portrait of

Jeanne

Kefer s um m a ri ze d

this pr i nc i pl e at the

same

tim e that it op ene d the wa y to ne w exp lo ra ti ons .

22


30/116

P R O D U C I N G A P O R T R A I T

W

h i s t l e r p r o v i d e d K hnopf f w i t h the m od e l he n e e d e d to

unshack le h im se l f

f r o m

the rea li sm o f classical por tr ai t pai nt

ing.

W h i l e the docu me nta ry fu nct i on rem aine d centra l i n

an art f o r m of ten pro duce d on com mi ss io n, Whis t ler ' s idea o f a r r a n g e me n t

mo ve d away

f r o m

the pre tex t of the subject to

c o n f i r m

pa int ing as pai nting .

The idea o f a r r a n g e m e n t o p e ne d the way to the pr in ci p l e o f ha rm ony,

ab ando ning any conc er n for the narra tive content o f the wo r k. The me an ing

o f

the por tr ai t no longe r

depended

sol ely on its subject; it was n o w roo te d in

a science of co mp os i t io n and a phi lo so phy of crea t ion tha t inc lu ded the image

i n a wi der ques t ioni ng of the pri nci p l e o f representa t ion.

A R E A L I S T T R A D I T I O N

A

fter a smal l num be r o f

t r i a l

pa int ings us ing

f ami l y

m e m b e r s

or f rie nds

as sub jec ts, i n 1883 K hnopf f p r o du c e d t he Portr ait of Mademoiselle van der

Hecht [ F I G U R E 19] . This port ra i t sets the general o utl ine s for that of Jeanne

Kefer

[ F I G U R E I ] t w o years later. The m od el , a l i t t l e g i r l o f fou r, was the

daughter o f He nr i van der Hech t, a landscape painte r and engraver w h o m

K hnopf f no doub t met a t the Cerc le a rt i s t ique e t l i t tera i re , to w h i c h bot h

b e l o n g e d .

4 3

Like that o f Jeanne Kefer, this por tr ai t refers ba ck to the a rtis tic

m i l i e u

i n w h i c h

K hnopf f

evolved.

Presented one year later at the

first

s alo n of Les XX , the pa in ti ng was

seen by

s o m e

as a del ica te m i ni a tu r e a rea l je wel accor ding to Jules

D e s t r e e

4 4

i n w h i c h art and the ideal co me toget her.

4 5

The

sense

o f refine d

synthesis that the c r i t i c i s m expresses is significant, as the painting betrays two

aspirations. O n the one hand, the vi rt uo si ty o f the br us hw or k is anc hor ed i n

23


31/116

Figure

19

Fernand Khnopff,

Portrait of Mademoiselle

vander Hecht,

1883.

Oil on canvas, 37

x

29 cm (14%

x 1 1 %

in.).

Brussels, Musees

royaux des Beaux-Arts

de Belgique, 3980.

Photo:

Cussac.

a Flemi sh tradi t io n of l y r i c i s m and the ph ys ic al it y o f the pai nt itself, and, o n

the other hand, we have the v i r t u a l l y su rgica l preci si on of the draw ing . I n its

m o d e o f manufact ure, the pa int ing participates i n the debate dom ina ti ng the

Belgian

avant-garde

i n the earl y 1880s. In addit i on to pro vi ding the co m m o n

deno mi nat or o f the irre gul ar ban d of Les XX, Realist

aesthetics also

sho wed

a dir ect io n for the const it uti on o f a nati onal ident it y based on the Fle mis h tra di

t i o n .

I n hi s Histoire de la peinture en Belgique, publ i s hed i n 1905-, Ca mi l l e Lem onn i e r

defi ned this

shared

trend: Produci ng whol esom e, s trong, or i gina l pai nting;

re tu rn in g to the true mea ni ng o f the pa int ing , lo ved not for the

sake

of t he

subject b ut for its o w n r i c h ma terial ity, as bot h precious substance a nd

l i v i n g

organ i sm; pa in t ing nature i n its reality, its frankness, it s accent,

detached

f r o m

k n o w n

master ies

and

sys tems .

4 6

This painting rejects the pr im a cy of the subject, fr eeing i t s e l f f r o m

the intellectuality associated

u n t i l

then

w i t h

the image, to restore what Le mon

nier was to refer to as w i l d sensuality and tu rn the artist int o bo th vis iona ry

a nd p r i m i t i v e . The pai nti ng is instead a ncho red i n the sensuality o f a

gaze

that

is one

w i t h

the

mo v e me n t s

o f the pa int.

The realism appears condit i oned by practice : brus hwor k, generous

imp ast os, and a str ong palette b e c o me vehicles f or sensibi li ty i n act ion. Thi s

sens ibi l i ty sees i t s e l f as guaranteeing the obj ect iv it y o f the act of seeing. The

dem an d fo r insta ntaneit y i n the act o f

seeing

le d repr esenta tio n i nto ne w ter

rito ries soon qua li fied by the n a m e Imp res si onis m. A dialectic began to

take

shape between the im medi ac y o f sensation and the obj ect iv it y o f the act o f see

i n g tha t defines this spi ri t o f analysis; Em il e Zol a w o u l d be one o f its first the

oretic ians. I n this way the artist

becomes

a li ai son bet ween rea li ty that exists

as suc h and the rea li ty o f the independent image . Contempla t ion

4 7

no long er

passively fol lo ws the co mm onp la ce o f the pho tog ra phi c act o f

seeing,

to wh i ch

we shall ret urn; rather, it is insp ire d by psycho lo gy to ma k e vi si on int o a t o o l

f o r expl or ing rea l i ty f r o m the inside.

Rea li sm and the study of nature are the fou ndati ons o f this m od er n

i t y , o f this tr ue art that L ' A r t Moderne s o u g h t to defend against ac ade mi c

convent iona l i sm. M o v i n g bey ond and outs ide the fr a me wor k o f the tr adi

t iona l

schools, t his ne w

aesthetic

sought to set i t s e l f up as an int er nat io nal

avant-garde. Beg inn in g i n 1884, Les XX wo u l d

b e c o me

the mo uth pi ece o f this

avant-garde.

24


32/116


33/116

Figure2

Fernand Khnopff,

At

Fosset: Rain

ca . 1890 .

Oil on

wood,

1 9 x

23 .5 cm ( 7 V

2

x

9 V

4

in.). New

York,

The Hearn Family Trust.

Figure

21

James Ensor Belgian,

1 8 6 0 - 1 9 4 9 ) ,

The

Roofs

of

Ostend

1884.

Oil

on

canvas,

15 7 x 2 0 9 cm ( 6 1 % x

8 2

V a in.).

Antwerp,

Koninklijk Museum voor

Schone

Kns ten,

2 7 0 6 .


34/116

P O R T R A I T U R E B E Y O N D R E A L I S M

27

A

o u n d

1 880- 83 , Khnopf f ' s

w o r k

developed lar gely w i t h i n thi s cont ext o f

a Belgi an Rea lis m that com bi nes l y r i c i s m o f b r u s hw or k w i t h the quality

o f

the im pre ss ion. This is less a matt er o f s e ns a t i o n as i n Fra nce and mo re

a ma tter o f expre ssi on. It is ro ot ed mor e i n a l y r i c a l pr oj ect io n tha n i n an

i n te rna l i za t i on

o f percep tion. The

landscape becomes

the vehicle for a l y r i c a l

search

insc ri be d i n sensation. For Khno pf f, the effect o f the pa int h a ndl i ng

reflects less the v e h e me n c e o f the gesture tha n the sensuali ty o f a

h igh ly

dec

ora tive scr ipt. The keys c o m p o s e a ha r m on i ou s score,

w h i c h

is closer to a m u r

m u r tha n to the scream

dear

to Ensor. Here, to o, we see Whi st le r' s infl uence :

r i s i n g

ou t o f reality, the

landscape

t r ans forms

i t s e l f

in to d reaml i ke

v i s i o n.

4 8

The t i t les o f the pai nti ngs t h e m s e l v e s

Passing

Sun, Au tu mn Sun, The

First

old

Days, A Whit e Day, Toward Noon, At Fosset:Rain [ F I G U R E 2 0] re f le c t th i s

c a l m

a bsor ption o f a l l thi ngs ,

4 9

a

phrase

Verhaeren

uses

br oa dl y to define the

Khnopffian

landscape.Verh aer en is

r igh t

i n insist ing on the atmospher ic qua li ty

o f

the oeuvre. This is not to be unders too d i n its Imp res sio nist di me nsi on. Wh a t

we have instea d is a panth eis t f o r m o f symbios is , w i t h natur e sup ers eding the

hu ma n f igure .

W h e n

i t

appears

i n Khnopf f ' s work , the por t r a i t imm edia t e ly i n te r

nal izes th is su gges ti ve pow er . Th e Portrait of Mademoiselle van der Hecht [ F I G U R E 19],

pa in te d i n 1883, testifies to the pai nter' s a nc ho ri ng i n a Real ist ve in . K h n o p f f

contents himse lf w i t h usi ng brushst rokes wi th o u t seeking the po wer fu l effects

o f

the palette

knife,

w i t h

w h i c h ,

contemporaneously, Ensor drew

severe c r i t i

c i s m i n his status o f l eader o f the radical w i n g .

5 0

W h e r e Ensor ' s ges ture

ta ng ibl e i n The Lamp Lighter , The Convalescent o r The Lady in the Blue Shawl, or The

Roofs of Ostend [ F I G U R E 21 ] fr ag ment s t he surface t o a l l ow the past y pa in t to

spread and the color to crackle,

K h n o p f f

exerts his

sense

of control by spread

i ng the paint t h i n l y across th e canvas.

K h n o p f f prefers r igo rou s cal l igraphi c strokes to frenetic br us hwo rk .

The v ery co nst ru ct io n o f the Portrait of Mademoiselle van der Hecht

demonstrates

a

strict

co ntr ol o f br us h effects. The heavy tapestry i n the ba ck gr ou nd

closes

off

the com po si ti on by accentuati ng the inte gr it y o f the surface. K h n o p f f rejects

depth: space, f r o m t he fo re gr ou nd to the ba ck gr ou nd tapestry, is conc eiv ed as

i f

i t wer e a

t h i n ,

f l a k y pastry, a delicacy furth er unde rl ine d by the

bare

a r c h i

tectur e o f the chair,

w h i c h

frame s and isola tes the l i t t l e

g i r l .

A pr is oner o f her

o w n ou tl ine , she cannot dissol ve i nt o the tapestr y beh i nd her even th o u gh

K h n o p f f plays a

g a m e

o f c h r om a t i c echoes that moves the eye f r o m fore

gr ou nd to bac kgro und, u n i f y i n g the ima ge. W i t h i n thi s syste m, the ha ir plays


35/116

a symbo l i c ro le by pr om ot in g the

passage

f r o m the face to space. The m ove

me nts o f the br us h are pu rp os el y va por ous i n orde r to

di lu te

the space

in to

a

f l u x ,

w hos e m ov e m e n t

leads

to the gir l ' s face, ma k i ng its static features sta nd

out

i n an even m o r e

t r o u b l i n g

fashion.

The attentive

c h i l d

is s t i f f l y ro ote d i n her

pose.

Unde r the u n i f o r m o f

m o d e l l i t t l e g i r l , her tense s p i r i t bursts o ut, to wa rd the viewer . The mo del ' s

s t r ength

appears

i n the po we r o f a

gaze

that organizes the co mp os i t io n: the

s y m m e t r y

o f the

eyes

determ ines the

vert ica l

axis unde r l ine d by the pa r t i ng

o f

he r hair , the br idg e o f her nose, and her blu e

silk

b o w ;

horizonta l ly ,

i t

strengthens the back of the chair , is ol at ing the body

f r o m

the rest o f the space.

F r o m

space to the gaze,

f r o m

the vap oro us to the

fixed, from

the

p i c

t o r i a l

gesture to the

l i g h t l y

d r a w n

l ine , Khnopff

mo dul ate s his effects to

a f f i r m

a

presence

that is at once

i m m o b i l e

a nd dyna mi c. A

w o r k

o f synthesis be twe en

space treated here i n the pro lo nga t io n o f the f a ce and the f igure , the

Portrait

of Mademoiselle van der Hecht testif ies to a co nc er n f or h a r m o ny that al so

incl udes an eco nom y o f palette. The bl ue o f the

gir l ' s dress

co mb ine s col dness

a nd

suaveness.

The pa in t ing ' s

u n i f o r m

a tm os phe r e

exudes

del icacy and

f ra

g i l i t y .

The pa int er rejects the pa int er ly effects

dear

to the Realists, sp rea ding his

colors instead i n

wafe r - th in

glazes.

Critics

such as

Jules

Destree

w o u l d

reproach

h i m

for tepidness, int er pr ete d as a la ck o f robus tness.

5 1

K hnopf f seeks

mo re

the preci ousnes s o f a sa pphi re. I n the diff use at mo sp her e a ccentu ate d by the

vagueness o f the

b l o n d

hair, the face alone appears w i t h its perf ect desig n, t he

artist us ing mot he r- of -p ea rl tonal iti es to render the finesse of the flesh tones.

K hnopf f creates

a

sense

o f mo vem ent tha t

w h i r l s

u p

f r o m

th e tapestry, gra du

al ly

c al mi ng as i t

reaches

the face to

a l l o w

the eye to

caress

the pear les cent

p i n k o f the gir l ' s cheeks, w h i c h em phasi zes the sensual ity i n the dr a wi ng o f

the

l ips .

This sensual attr acti on

clashes

w i t h

the deter mi ned

l ook

that

arrests

the

spectator and

pushes

h i m outs ide the f rame.

K hnopf f

progress ive ly deploys

every

artifice

to distance the body

f r o m

the

w o r l d

sur rou nding i t , to

cleanse

i t

o f everyday contingencies, to

b lu r

the contour s of

reality,

and to restore to the

gaze

i ts dreamlike power .

The Portrait ofJeanne Kefer co nti nue s the conc er ns o f the po rt ra i t o f

Louise

van der Hecht

[ F I G U R E

19] he pa int ed t wo years befo re. Refer ence to

a Realist aesthetic has beco me m or e tenuous . The br oa d tapestry un de rl i ni ng

the pla ne o f the

pose

is repl aced by a restr ained

f o r m u l a

th at pla ys o n the

the me o f the pa int ing w i t h i n a pa int ing that

K hnopf f

was to use regu l ar l y to

m u l t i p l y

the

degrees

o f reality, as i n I

Lock

M y Door upon

Myself

(1891 ). The

glass

pane o f the doo r against w h i c h the

c h i l d

stands [ F I G U R E 22 ] c i rc ums cr ib es a

space devote d to this pa int br us h rh eto ri c that defines Belgi an Re al ism . Her e it

28


36/116

igur 22

Fernand Khnopff,

Portrait of

Jeanne

Kefer

[Figure 1]. Det

of the glass pane.

igur 23

Fernand Khnopff,

Portrait of

Jeanne Ke

[Figure 1]. Detail

showing Khnopf f s tig

script in the most ges

tural part of the comp

si t ion. Microphotogra

JPGM Paintings Con

servation Departmen

plays

a

d oub l e

rol e, on the one

ha nd creat ing

the only

field

in wh i ch Khnopff,

s t i l l

at tached

to

Rea l i sm,

ca n give

free

re i n to a pa in te r ly handw r i t ing

that,

a lbei t contro l led, remains

ges tural

[ F I G U R E 23] . Khnopff uses a palette knife

to

un d e r l i n e

the

o p a c i t y

o f the

pa in t

surface.

On the

othe r hand ,

th e

pane

o f

glass

closes

off the

pe r s pe c t i va l effect

b e g u n

by the

m o v e m e n t

o f th e floor

by refl ecti ng the wa l l

oppos i t e

it.

29


37/116

R i g o r o u s l y i n s c r i be d w i t h i n the plane, the representation suggests an

atm osph er ic depth by oper at i ng

f r o m

one end o f the r o o m to the ot he r th at

is ,

f r o m

the

w i n d o w

that

separates

the ro om s o f the ap ar tme nt to the

w i n d o w

that looks out onto the s t re e t wi th ou t , however ,

defining

a cons tru cte d

space. Reduce d to a detai l , the Realist ha ndl in g no w

becomes

part of the pr o

cess o f is ol at ion that character izes the Symb ol is t prac tice o f por tra i t pa inti ng.

The

pane

o f

glass takes

on a dou bl e me an in g: as a sy mb ol ic expre ssi on o f the

actual ima ge and as a qu es ti oni ng o f the represe ntati on as

ref lect ion.

The s o l i

tary image acquires

stabil i ty

f r o m the w i n d o w ' s square f o r m a t , i n

w h i c h

the

co mp os it io n finds balance and per ma nence.

A N

A R R A N G E M E N T

A L A

W H I S T L E R

igur

24

James McNeill Whistler,

Harmonyin Grey

a nd

Green: Miss Cecily

Alexander,

1872-1874.

Oiloncanvas, 190.2x

97.8 cm

( 7 4 %

x

3 8 7

2

in.).London,

Tate Picture

Gallery,

N 0 4 6 2 2 / 1 1 1 .

F

r o m

Mademoiselle van der Hecht to

Jeanne

Kefer,

K h n o p f f

continued to reflect on

the purpos e o f the portr ai t . The

e x h i b i t i o n

o f his

f i r s t

por t r a i t o f a c h i l d

at the Les X X

e x h i b i t i o n

i n 1884 pr ov id ed the pai nter

w i t h

the occ as io n for

f u r t h e r i n g

his exp lo ra t i on by be i ng able to comp are his o w n

w o r k

w i t h that

o f Whi s t l e r ,

w h i c h

wa s exh ib it ed at the

same

salon. The inte l l ec tual d im ens io n

o f

hi s

w o r k ,

already emp ha si zed by

Emi le

V e r ha e r en

5 2

and ma ny o f the

critics,

was to be

a m p l i f i e d

by a W h i s t l e r i a n r e a d i n g o f po r t r a i t p a i n t i n g . T h i s

encounter p rov ed to be hug el y enr i chi ng.

K h n o p f f

was stru ck by the s ol uti ons

W h i s t l e r

achieved i n Harmony in Grey and Green: Miss

Cecily

Alexander, pr es ent ed i n

Bruss els i n 1884

[ F I G U R E

2 4 ] .

5 3

L i k e

h is por tr ai t o f Th om as Ca r ly le also

p r o d u c e d i n 1 8 7 2 - 7 4 t h a t o f

Cec i ly

Alex ander is pres ented by Wh is t l e r as

a n a r r a n ge m e n t ,

5 4

m i x i n g

deco rat ive fantasy w i t h the re qu ir em ent for a

real i s t ic po rt ra i t . Wh is t l e r ' s cor res ponde nce be twe en 1872 and 1874

w i t h

Ceci ly

Alexander ' s

parents

reveals this co nce rn for

exactness.

N o detail o f the

por t ra i t w o u l d be l e f t i n the shadows, and the po si ng sessions w o u l d be

long

and prepa red f or met icu lo usl y. It is ou t of the que st io n for the pai nter that the

por t ra i t

as such s ho ul d depart

f r o m

the strictest rea li sm . The wh i te o f the

dress

can never be

based

o n an effect o f the im ag in at io n. Wh is tl er we nt so

fa r as to or der Cec ily' s mo th er , Rac hel Agnes Alex ander, to have a dress made

f r o m w h i t e

Indi an mus l i n

to

avoid

any

blu ish ref lect ion,

even l i s t ing his

pref err ed suppl iers .

The staging begins

w i t h

the

p i c to r i a l

def in i t ion

o f the cos tum e on

w h i c h the model ' s

pose

w i l l

dep end. The search for pe rf ec ti on ass igned to the

w o r k

goes be yo nd the por tra i t to beg in a dia l ogue w i t h its

p i c to r i a l

reference,

Edoua rd Manet ' s Lola de Valence. Th e obv i ous

s i m i l a r i t y

o f the

pose

transforms

30


38/116


39/116

the anecdotal aspect of the por tra i t by emp ha s i z ing i ts a r t i f i c i a l i t y , w i t h the

play

o f the deco r as stagi ng. The gr ay w a l l w i t h its bla ck wa in sc ot in g and the

bl ac k- and- whi te str ipe d carpet define geo me tri c registers that, dis tri but ed

across

the surface, arrest the mo ve me nt o f the body, sus pending it i n

space

w i t h neither

shadow nor depth.

L i k e

a

flower

i n an herb g ar den, C eci ly Ale xander , a ve ry real

pers on, floats i n a dre am outs ide reality.

L i k e

the f l i g h t o f a

butterfly,

she be lo ngs

to

the sy mb ol ic universe o f the pa int ing.

The pa int ing , the result of a

search

for harmony,

breaks

w i t h Victo r ia n

por t ra i t

c onventio ns. The c h i l d does no t appear as an ang el bu t ra the r as the

hos tage

o f the

p i c t o r i a l

f i c t i o n i nsc r i bed by her

pose.

U n l i k e the ch i l dr en

pa int ed by Sir Joh n Everett

M i l l a i s ,

Cec i ly

does

no t

appear l i k e

a

l i t t l e g i r l

pos ing f ree ly and of her o w n w i l l f o r he r po r t r a i t .

5 5

Indeed , Whis t le r ' s

Harmony in Grey and Green [ F I G U R E 24 ] was pa nned by the cri tic s as an ar ra nge

me nt o f silver and

b i l e

and a nasty des cr ip ti on o f a nasty l i t t l e g i r l .

5 6

I n

1881 the Magazine of

A r t

descr ibed the

w o r k

as a rha psody for badl y br ou gh t u p

c h i l d r e n and spiders ' webs .

5 7

Wh at the press pi ck ed up as faults are no do ub t

prejudices that K h n o p f f w o u l d share. The Portrait of Mademoiselle van der Hecht

[ F I G U R E

19] sh ows the s ame capac ity o f the c h i l d to resist the painter, w h o m

she confronts

w i t h

the ma gneti sm o f her

gaze.

The very am bi gu it y o f the por

trait ,

ev ol vi ng be twe en sensual ity and reserve, reflects a pa ra doxi ca l sta ging

f o u n d

also i n the por tr ai t o f Ceci ly Ale xander [ F I G U R E 2 4] . R es pondi ng to the

sour a nd reser ved face are the sy mb ol ic details o f an

a f f i rmed

feminini ty . A n

arr ange ment i n gray and green, the por tr ai t

expresses

a tens io n be twe en the

desire o f the

c h i l d

a nd the requ ire ment s o f the pai nti ng. I n this wa y the p r i n

cip le o f ha rm ony i s dependent no t

on ly

o n a decora tiv e

v i s ion

but on m ov i ng

be yo nd this tensio n. W h i l e paying l i t t l e a tte ntio n to the c h i l d as a m od el ,

W h i s t l e r respects

her for resis ting h i m . Her op po si ti on constitutes a key ele

me nt o f the arr angeme nt that , th ro ug h the image , imposes a re la xation.

Huy sm ans wa s not mi sta ken i n his des cri pt io n o f the

w o r k ,

pu b l i s he d i n L ' A r t

Moderne i n 1884, w h e n he insi ste d o n the at mo sp her ic q ua l it y that a ut ho ri ze d

h i m

to see a bl o nd, ane mi c

l i t t l e

ari stocr at, caval ier and soft, an Engl is h

infanta mo v i ng i n an atm osp here o f gray, gi ld ed under nea th w i t h a patina

o f

o l d

v e r m e i l .

5 8

By its char acte ris tic pla y o f echoes, the pal ette pe rm it s the

u n w i l l i n g model to fuse w i t h the thea tri cal decor that su rr ou nds her. Bet wee n

the black wa ins co ti ng and the wh i t e o f the

dress,

a

range

o f grays and

greens

converse and inter act w i t h o ne another . The transpa rency o f the m us l i n em

phasizes

a

sensuous presence

o n w h i c h but terf li es and fl ower s confe r the ir

symbolic qual i ty.

32


40/116

Conf ron ted w i t h this wor k, K h n o p f f was very taken by its h ar mo ny,

w h i c h

mo v e s be yond s tr ic t l y Real is t doctr ine . Transposed into the pai nti ng,

Ceci ly

Alexander 's

resistance

reveals the reticence o f Realist obj ect iv it y faced

w i t h the ideal iza tio n o f the representat ion. Posing just as one is ra n radica ll y

counter to the conventions o f port rai tur e. Whi st le r has clearly sough t to make

this op po si ti on the subject of his wo r k. Us in g the idea of a r r a n g e me n t , he

questions the double nature o f the portr ai t i n order to sublim ate i t in to a single

pr inc ip l e re qu ir in g a spatial dista ncing and the

suspension

of ti me th ro ug h the

artifice o f a theatr ical se tt ing, wh i c h mo v e s f r o m the decor to the palette via

Symb ol is t detai l . Ti me in the portr ai t i s a t i me of ha rmo ny, w h i c h escapes

s t r ic t ly Realist repr esenta tion.

T H E E N I G M A

O F

P L A C E

A

c om pa r i s on

w i t h

the Portrait of Mademoiselle van der Hecht [ F I G U R E 19]

reveals

the innov at io ns in tr odu ce d i n the Portrait ofJeanne Kefer [ F I G U R E i ] . T h e

setting picks up the essent ia l e lements o f the pr i nc ipl es that Wh is t l e r had

aff i rmed.

The o r ig ina l i t y o f the comp os it io n lies no longer i n the orga niza tio n

o f its various

e l ements

bu t i n a genu ine

desire

to construct som ethi ng. Vi ewe d

f u l l l e n g th , l i k e C ecil y Alexa nder, the

c h i l d

appears imp r i so ned i n the

space

surrounding her.

I t

wa s

here

that, for the

f i r s t

t i m e ,

K h n o p f f

el ab ora ted a sys tem tha t

w o u l d

b e c o m e

a par t of his symbol ic imagi nary w o r l d . The bo dy is al ways

enclosed ins ide its co nto ur l ine. R adi cal izi ng the po si ti on taken i n the Portrait

of

Mademoiselle van der Hecht, K h n o p f f

stages

his co mp os it io n i n registers . The

head, body, and legs o f

Jeanne

Kefer

f o r m

three separate parts that are repeated

i n th e

m o t i f

o f the door. Enclo sed i n the f i e l d desc ri bed by the door , the

c h i l d

i s symb oli cal ly f ram ed by these var ious elements . K h n o p f f defines here a

set

t ing that he wo u l d reuse i n 1889 for the por tr ai t o f his sister Ma rgu eri te [see

F I G U R E

75 ]. The rel ati onshi p uni ti ng the body o f the wo m a n w i t h th e

recess

o f the doo r i n w h i c h she has

been

perfectly insc ri bed is af fir med here

w i t h

an

obviou s sym bol ic r igor . K h n o p f f plays w i t h the pro por t io ns to associate the

t wo

mo ti fs even mo re closely: just l i k e a door, the body blocks access to another

reali ty

that, be ing unconsci ous , is necessari ly obscure.Wh at the por tra it of his

sister

presents

w i t h

ri go r, the Portrait of Jeanne Kefer as yet sketches out hes i

tantly. I n the latter, the bo dy a nd the doo r

have

yet to

find

t hei r perfect analogy.

Between the chance aspect o f the pose and the desire for staging, the sy mb ol ic

33


41/116

codi f i ca t ion

ev id en t i n the Portrait of Marguerite

Khnopff r e m a i n s

emp ir ica l i n the

Portrait of

Jeanne

Kefer.

The mea ningful ness o f the

decor

i s conf i r me d by a com par i s on w i t h

the portra its that Khnopf T pai nted f r o m 188^ on wa r d. I n ma ny of th e m he

op te d for an

abstract ,

a l m o s t

ba re b a c k g r o u n d a s

i n the por tr ai ts o f the

t 'Serstevens sisters

[FIGURES 2 ^ , 2 6 ] or i n th e Portra it of Eugenie Verhaeren

[ F I G

U R E 27 ] . He also

re tains

the curta in

m o t i f f o r

ex a m pl e i n hi s 1887 Portrait of

Marie Monnom [ F I G U R E 28] or i t s Whi st le r i an t ranspos i t ion as wal lp ap er

i n

th e Por trait of Gabrielle Braun [ F I G U R E 29 ] .

To these fo rmu la s

K h n o p f f

adds ye t another, w h i c h

w i l l

constitute a key

el em ent o f the s ym bo li c qu al i t y o f the por tr ai t : the int eg ra ti on o f the figure

in t o its architectur al fr ame work . This al lows h i m to break w i t h the traditional

figure-ground dia le cti c by s ym bo l ic al l y fu si ng the m o de l w i t h the

p lace

i n

a visuallyun i f i ed space: that o f the ima ge. F r o m the Portrait of

Jeanne

Kefer to th e

h e r m e t i c

Arum L i l y

[see F I G U R E 76 ] , the thea tr ica l iza t i on of the

p lace

stages a

figure w i t h d r a w n f r o m reali ty, m ov i ng i n a space that is i ts spi ri tua li zed pr o

j e c t i o n .

I n this way the ima ge

m o v e s

towa rd the i co n , wh i c h

reveals i t s e l f

to

be hermetic.

The po r t ra i t

b e c o m e s

less

clear,

less se l f-evi dent, and mor e d i f f i c u l t

to

unde r s tand .

Str ipped o f a l l accessories , i t nonethe less exhibi ts certa i n fun-

34

igur

25

Fernand Khnopff,

Portrait of

Emilie

t 'Serstevens,

ca.

1885 .

Oil oncanvas,

64.5 x 55.5cm

( 2 5 % x 2 1

7

/

8

in.).

Private

collection.

igur 26

Fernand Khnopff,

Portrait

of

Isabelle

t 'Serstevens,

ca.

1885 .Oil on

canvas,

64.5

x

55.5cm

( 2 5 %

x 2 1 % in.).

Private collection.

opposite

igur

27

Fernand Khnopff,

Portrait of Eugenie

Verhaeren, 1888 . Oil on

canvas,41x 32.5 cm

( 1 6 %

x

12 % in.).

Brussels, private

collection. Photo

Dick

Beaulieux, Brussels.


42/116


43/116

Figure 28

Fernand Khnopff,

Portrait of Marie

Monnom, 1887. Oil on

canvas, 49.5 x 50 cm

(19%

x

19% in.).

Paris, Musee d'Orsay.

Photo: Erich Lessing/

Art Resource, New York.


44/116

damental details that are not there by accident.This includes the keyhole [ F I G

U R E

3 0] , a reali stic detai l that c o u l d have been re mo ve d w i t h o u t d i f f i c u l t y to

focus atte ntio n o n the mo de l bu t that has been precisel y dr a wn and careful ly

pa in ted .

W h e n analyzed, this detai l

as sumes

a somewha t d i spropor t iona te i m

portance .

K h n o p f f

insists on this mot i f , r epea ting it reg ul ar ly i n his port rai ts .

I t appears i n that of M a r i e M o n n o m

[ F I G U R E

2 8 ] , w he r e K hn opf f has dra wn

a cur ta in

across

the st udi o door, ta ki ng care, howev er, to stop at the key hol e,

w h i c h

thus b e c o me s a focus o f att enti on. Ou gh t we to assign a par tic ul ar s ig

nificance to the obsessive

presence

o f this keyh ol e, or see it pu re l y as a si mp l e

ornamental caprice? A l t h o u g h l i t t l e is gratui tous in K

portrait of jeanne kefer

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