Joseph Middeleer - Life on a Brussels boulevard

Oil on canvas
1889
65 by 52 cm

With dedication to the painter Edmond Van der Meulen.

This painting dates from the 1880s, a decade in which photography revolutionized art. This oil on canvas is almost a snapshot of modern city life, a theme not so frequently represented in nineteenth century Belgian art. It is an impression of everyday life on a Brussels boulevard and thus reminds of French impressionist painters such as Gustave Caillebotte. The painting was dedicated to Edmond Van der Meulen, a Brussels based painter and close friend of the artist.