Gerard Portielje

Gerard Jozef Portielje (6 February 1856 – 18 May 1929) was a Belgian painter of genre scenes.

Life He was born in Antwerp, the son of painter Jan Portielje. His younger brother, Edward, was also a painter. He attended a trade school until 1870, then entered the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp. His teachers included Polydore Beaufaux, Jozef Van Lerius and Edward Dujardin. He died in 1929 in Remich.

Work

Portielje specialized in genre scenes in a variety of social settings, generally filled with people who might be described as "characters". They are often humorous (occasionally suggestive), and there is usually a sense that something is about to happen. The clothing and accessories point to the early nineteenth century, rather than his own times. He is particularly noted for his attention to fine detail. His paintings were usually priced according to the number of people they contained.

He worked in close cooperation with many well-known art dealers in New York and London. One of those dealers, , often had him produce paintings in collaboration with other artists.

He was commissioned to create posters and brochures for the 300th Anniversary of Anthony van Dyck's birth and designed advertisements for "Elixir d'Anvers", an herbal liqueur with purported medicinal properties.