Fernand Khnopff Oil Paintings

Fernand Khnopff: (September 12, 1858 in Grimbergen, Belgium - November 12, 1921 in Brussels, Belgium) was a Belgian symbolist artist.

He was raised in Bruges and went to law school at l'Université Libre de Bruxelles. He quickly dropped out and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels (l'Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts en Bruxelles). He studied under the tutelage of Belgian painter Xavier Mellery. During a trip to Paris in 1877, he was greatly influenced by Delacroix and the Pre-Raphaelites. In 1883, he was one of the founding members of the salon exhibition of Le Groupe des XX. Although not a very open man and a rather secluded personality, he already achieved cult status during his life. Acknowledged and accepted, he received the Order of Leopold. His sister, Marguerite, was one of his favorite subjects. His most famous painting is probably The Caress ("L'Art ou Des Caresses"). His art often portrayed a recurring theme found in symbolist art: the dualistic vision of woman as either 'femme fatale' or angelic woman.

His painting of The Caress is mentioned in a Greg Egan short story of the same name.