L'homme a la barre - A painting of a man on a boat in the ocean

Theo van Rysselberghe (1862–1926) was a Belgian painter associated with the Neo-Impressionist movement. He was born in Ghent, Belgium, and studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. In the 1880s he became interested in the theories of Georges Seurat and began to experiment with pointillism, a technique in which small dots of colour are applied to the canvas to create a larger image. Van Rysselberghe's paintings often depicted scenes from everyday life, such as beaches, gardens and portraits of friends and family. He was also known for his use of vibrant colours and his ability to capture light and atmosphere in his works. As well as painting, van Rysselberghe also worked in the decorative arts, designing furniture, textiles and ceramics. He was a member of the artists' group Les XX in Brussels and exhibited his work throughout Europe. Van Rysselberghe died in 1926 in Saint-Clair, France. His works are now in museums around the world, including the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Art Institute of Chicago.