Herman Jean Joseph Richir

HERMAN JEAN JOSEPH RICHIR (Ixelles, 1866- Uccle, 1942).
"Portrait of the Countess Régine d'Oultremont", 1928.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner. Signed, dated and titled on the back.
Size: 135 x 100 cm; 156 x 121,5 cm (frame).
This oil on canvas painted in 1928, represents the portrait of the Countess Régine d'Oultremont, born in 1909 and died in 2005. The work depicts her in a suggestive manner, a characteristic that was common in Richir's painting, known for his portraits of young ladies in sumptuous atmospheres. In this case the work is a clear example of the fashion and tastes of the period. The young woman is depicted wearing a Manila shawl and resting her delicate elbow on a table covered with a cloth whose ornamentation is largely reminiscent of the Chinese-style ornaments that were very much in vogue in the 19th century. During this period, the arts of other continents were popularised from the perspective of luxury and exoticism. This work is a magnificent example of 19th-century taste, not only because of what has already been mentioned, but also because of the presence of a palette of delicate tones based on a chromatic range of pastel colours, with the fan of the young woman standing out from the composition and adding liveliness to the scene.

Herman Richir first studied at the art academy of the Brussels commune of Sint-Joost-ten-Node with Gustave Biot and Charles Hermans. He then went on to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels (1884-1889), where he was taught by Jean Portaels, among others. During his studies, he came second in the Rome Prize for painting, behind the winner Constant Montald (1886). He became professor of life drawing at the Brussels Academy in 1900 and the first professor of life painting in 1905. Subsequently, he took over the direction of the Academy several times. His pupils included Albert Alleman, Éliane de Meuse, Paul Hagemans, Maurice Mareels, Guy Onkelinx, Georges Rogy, José Storie, Charles Swyncop, Maurice Schelck and Max Van Dyck (the latter won the Prix de Rome in 1920 and became professor and director of the Academy of Fine Arts in Anderlecht). Richir's work is primarily known for his mastery of portraiture. His clients were generally from the highest circles, so that his works immortalised important figures such as King Albert and Queen Isabella, Cardinal Mercier and the Countess d'Oultremont, the subject of this portrait. He also painted still lifes, genre pieces, nudes and, on occasions, decorative paintings to fit into residential houses. Less well known are the landscape paintings he produced, including in the area around Genk, in the Limburg Kempen region, where he stayed regularly with his artist friend Emile Van Doren.