Artwork
The blessing before supper
The blessing before supper is an oil painting by the Realist artist Charles de Groux. It dates from 1861 and is held in the collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
About this work
Overview
The Blessing before Supper is a 1861 oil painting by Charles de Groux, a French-born artist active in Belgium. It is a representative work of the Realist movement, which emphasized everyday life.
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows a group gathered around a table, with a man standing at its center, likely praying or speaking. The somber atmosphere and the figures' old-fashioned clothing evoke a sense of quiet reflection.
Technique & Style
De Groux's use of muted colors and gentle brushstrokes creates a calm, contemplative mood. The work's realist style is characterized by its unidealized depiction of everyday existence.
History & Provenance
The painting is held in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, reflecting de Groux's significance as the country's first social realist painter.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles de Groux (French pronunciation: ) or Charles Degroux (25 August 1825 – 30 March 1870) was a French painter, engraver, lithographer and illustrator.
Museum
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Continue through works from the same source collection.
Making Lint
Home and the Homeless
Reservesoldatens afsked med sin familie
The chalk sellers-At Noon
Untitled
After the Unsealing of the Will
Women Working in the Kitchen of a Farmhouse near Olevano, Italy
Gæstgiveriet i Sora
Episode af et gilde på Amager
A Prison Visit
The Cold Day
The chalk sellers-In the morning