Friday, April 25, 2008

Fernand Khnopff



I lock my door upon myself, 1891. Oil on canvas, Bavarian National Art Collections, Neue Pinakothek, Munich.
This painting is based on a line from a poem called, "Who shall deliver me?" by Christina Rossetti. Khnopff's sister was the model for this and most of his paintings. Her name was Marguerite, 'In whom he depicted himself as androgynous.' Look at those eyes, quite haunting!
Here's a small bio:
Fernand Khnopff: 1858-1912. Belgian painter and graphic artist. Having completed his law studies, in 1878, he began a painting course at the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and later became a pupil of Jules Lefebvre in Paris. Khnopff was the principal Belgian representative of Belgian Symbolism. Influenced by the English Pre-Raphaelites and Gustave Moreau, he painted pictures with mystic and allegorical subject matter. His oeuvre includes landscapes, etchings, and book illustrations. (Gabriele Fahr-Becker)

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