Proof before letters.
In this poster that Lemmen produced for the eighteenth salon of La Libre Esthétique in Brussels, the artist depicts his wife Aline, whom he married on 9 August 1893. She appears in some of his best neo-impressionist portraits.
The highlight of the Libre Esthétique exhibition was a retrospective of Edmond Cross, who died in 1910. Lemmen describes his impression in a letter to his friend Finch: "It is really very beautiful, with an admirable unity, radiant colour, freedom, and frankness that never spoils any Signac-like pedantry. There are exquisite nudes, - and bold harmonies reminiscent of Van Gogh.
Ref:
Georges Cardon, Georges Lemmen - monographie générale et catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre gravé, Pandora, Antwerp, 1990, p.470-471.
Jane Block, Homage to Brussels, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 1992, p. 91, n°32
