Edouard Duyck

EDOUARD DUYCK (Belgium, 1856 - 1897).
"Diana, goddess of the hunt", ca.1890.
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 257 x 146 cm; 284 x 163 cm (frame).

Diana, goddess of the hunt, appears accompanied by two nymphs in a wooded and peaceful environment, while the recumbent deer in the foreground refers directly to her condition of hunter; however, more than narrating a specific mythological episode, in this scene summit of the artistic imaginary of Edouard Duyck evokes an allegory of purity, chastity and communion with nature, features of the divinity.

The central figure, pointing towards the horizon, introduces a spiritual and contemplative dimension, suggesting a call towards the ideal or the transcendent, while the soft and timeless atmosphere reinforces the symbolist intention of expressing ideas and states of the soul rather than a specific action. In the work mythology functions as a poetic language: the dead deer alludes to the relationship between life and death, nature suggests purity and isolation, and the gesture of the central figure pointing to the horizon introduces a transcendent or ideal dimension. The silent atmosphere, the suspended time and the contemplative attitude of the figures reinforce the intention of expressing concepts -purity, autonomous femininity, communion with nature, spirituality- rather than telling a concrete story, a characteristic feature of late 19th century symbolism.

Édouard Duyck trained at the School of Decorative Arts of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts on Rue du Midi, where he was a disciple of Adolphe Crespin and attended the classes of Ernest Blanc-Garin. Later he continued his training with Jean-Léon Gérôme. In 1879 he participated in the foundation of L'Essor. Together with Crespin, he was in charge of decorating the rooms of the Colonial Palace of Tervuren and, between 1894 and 1896, he produced several posters, including "Spa Ferme de la Frahinfaz" (printed by Van Buggenhout in 1894), which Jules Chéret reproduced in his review Les Maîtres de l'Affiche in 1895. He also illustrated several outstanding works published by the Brussels publishing house Lebègue et Cie.