| Remarks |
The painting on the easel shown on this photograph is most likely the painting Henri Goovaerts made in 1897 of the market square 'de Messberg' in Hamburg and about which a Maastricht newspaper wrote on June 27 or 28 of that year:
‘In the shop window of Mr. Vermin in the Groote Straat, a large painting of our townsman, Mr. H. Goovaerts, is exhibited since a few days. This canvas, which attracts many spectators and seems to be appreciated in general, represents the 'Messberg', a fruit and flower market in Hamburg. The painting gives us the opportunity to get to know the masterly way in which Mr. Goovaerts shows the morning hour down to the smallest details. Without being unnatural though, as is often the case with such paintings. Since it is the first time that we get to know the artist in this field of painting, we can not help but congratulate him with his success, and we hope that this first experiment will not be the last and that also in the future we may look forward to enjoy such work of his hand.’ [copy of a newspaper clipping of June 27 or 28, 1897 in the archive of Lily Goovaerts].
This photograph shows Henri Goovaerts in his studio in the chapel of the former Grauwzusters Cloister at the De Bosquetplein 7 in Maastricht (The Netherlands). The left of the three comrades standing behind him is Baron Gérard von Geusau (photo in the archive of Lily Goovaerts). |
