Courting - Edward Portielje (1861- 1949)

Oil on panel
Signed lower right: “Edward Portielje.”

In this painting by Portielje we can see a young woman being courted by a young fisherman. The woman is wearing traditional Zeeland clothing that is often seen in Portielje’s paintings. The man is dressed in a white shirt and blue vest, wearing a basket on his back. He’s softly holding the hand of the woman, while grabbing her shoulder. His actions are making the woman blush, while she is looking away from her suitor.
Edward Portielje was a Belgian painter, mainly known for his genre pieces. He was a student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1877, together with Edward Dujardin, under the tutelage of Polydore Beaufaux, Charles Verlat and Nicaise de Keyser.
Genre scenes were his speciality, with an occasional portrait or seascape. Much of his inspiration came from the fishing communities in Zeeland. Many of his works are series of similar interior scenes, created according to the wishes of his agents. They generally consist of a room with a sunny window, occupied by women in traditional costume, engaged in some daily activity.