Garden with Villa and Fountain 1924

Theo van Rysselberghe painted this impressionistic rendering of a garden with villa and fountain, most likely in the early 20th century. It is hard to miss the imagery of leisure and affluence on display. The manicured lawns, grand villa, and elaborate fountain speak to the tastes of the European upper classes in the decades before the First World War. Van Rysselberghe was a Belgian artist who traveled widely and often painted landscapes and scenes of modern life. He was a founding member of Les XX, a group of avant-garde artists that challenged the conservative academic institutions of the Belgian art world. This painting, however, is not overtly challenging. Instead, it offers a glimpse into the private world of the wealthy. Art historians often turn to sources like letters, diaries, and social histories to understand the context in which paintings like this were made. The challenge for us is to consider both the radical artistic ideas and the conservative social attitudes that shaped the art of this period.