Jean François Portaels

Jean Francois Portaels (1818-1895) was a prolific Belgian artist who had practised many genres like orientalist art, portraiture, genre art and landscapes. He was known for portraying biblical stories through his works. Portaels is also considered the founder of the Belgian Orientalist School.

Born in Belgium, Portaels was also a teacher and Director of the Academy of Fine Art of Ghent and the Academie Royale des Beaux-Art in Brussels. Through his teaching and mentorship at the Academie Royale in Brussels, Portaels was instrumental in shaping the artistic sensibilities of the next generation of Belgian artists including his pupil Theo van.

Portaels’s depiction of biblical scenes earned him timeless prestige and popularity. Many of these still adorn the walls of churches in Belgium such as the Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg in Brussels. His popular biblical works can also be seen in churches like the Onze –Lieve –Vrouw van Goede Hoop Church in Vilvoorde.

At a technical level, Portaels created his unique artistic style, remarkable for its elegant grace and charm. Curiously enough, he wasn’t much influenced by the major artistic developments surrounding Belgian and European art of those times. He was exposed to all modern art movements but he chose to chart his own course. Perhaps, Portaels is most well known for his portrayal of exotic and beautiful oriental women. Depicting decked up women with elaborate headgear, exquisite oriental dresses and beautiful jewellery, the anatomical accuracy armed with a flawless palette mark the identity of the artist.

Portaels played a pivotal role in launching the monumentalism movement in Belgium. Around the 1850s, the government of Belgium was providing financial assistance to a number of artists for creating monumental art depicting the national history of Belgium. Portaels had played a significant role in shaping the artistic sensibilities of the future generation of Belgian artists.