Between Two Fires

Gerard Jozef Portielje was a painter of genre scenes, interiors, portraits, and figures. Born in Antwerp, the son of the painter Jan Portielje and elder brother of the painter Edward Portielje. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where his teachers included Polydore Beaufaux, Jozef Van Lerius, and Edward Dujardin, after attending trade school until 1870.

Portielje began exhibiting in 1875. In 1887, he travelled to the Vosges and Alsace regions for study, and in 1898 he visited England, spending time in Lowestoft. When the First World War broke out, he returned to England via Ostend and lived in Worcester Park, Surrey, where he painted numerous landscapes and depictions of English country houses. After the war, in 1919, he and his family returned to Belgium.

From 1898 to 1914, and again from 1919 to 1925, he taught drawing at the church school on Lange Leemstraat in Antwerp and also served as professor of drawing at the Antwerp Academy. He died in Remich in 1929.

Portielje is best known for his finely detailed genre scenes, portraying bourgeois interiors and figures in 18th- and early 19th-century costume. His paintings often capture moments of humour, gallantry, and narrative intrigue—small dramas set within domestic or social contexts. His compositions are celebrated for their meticulous execution, spirited storytelling, and refined colour harmonies.

His work was in great demand among collectors in Europe and abroad. He collaborated closely with several major art dealers in New York and London, notably Albert D’Huyvetter Jnr, who commissioned numerous works and joint compositions with other artists.

Portielje also received commissions to design posters and brochures, including those for the 300th anniversary of Anthony van Dyck’s birth, and advertisements for Elixir d’Anvers, a famous herbal liqueur.

Critics have noted his artistic lineage from Jean-Baptiste Madou, sharing the same sharp humour and command of character portrayal. As one contemporary wrote:“Strength, gallantry, and humour – these are the three words that summarise the tendencies of this excellent artist whose conscious work and proud style are to be admired.”

Portielje exhibited widely, including in Antwerp (Verlatzaal, 1893), Brussels, Melbourne (National Gallery), Chicago, and Sydney. Notable works include Before the Storm, The Card Game, The Beginning of the End, The Doctor, The Herbalist, The Restorer, The Musician, and At the Notary.

His paintings are held in major collections and museums, including the Museum of Antwerp (A Victim, 1844), as well as institutions in Brussels, Melbourne, and London.