Khnopff employed an unconventional, close-up viewpoint that boldly emphasizes the floral still life over the figure in the background. The artist underscored the prominence of the houseplant by titling this painting Hortensia, the French word for hydrangea. A single bright red blossom placed suggestively on the tabletop punctuates the inventive composition. When Khnopff painted this work, he was only twenty-six years old, but he was already a key member of the artistic vanguard that arose in Belgium in the 1880s and 1890s. He would soon abandon informal views of everyday life and turn to creating works rich in mystery and reverie.
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