Work by Belgian artist Auguste Donnay (1862 – 1921)

Posting this painting was inspired by a recently opened exhibition in Brussels:Oriental Fascination – Japonism in Belgium, which from today until 28 September 2008 will show for the first time in Belgium, Japonism in Belgium, from the collection of Feliks Jasienski in Krakow. The exhibition is at the Brussels Town Hall, in the very center of Brussels.  Some of Donnay’s work is on display.

The above painting is of course not representative of the exhibition, but I wanted to show it to you anyway, since discovering interesting work from my native Belgium is always a pleasure.

Below a work from Hokusai, the artist most typical and best-known for the European fin de siècle craze known as Japonism.

Work by Hokusai

The titular phrase of this post is from a poem by François Villon, “Ballade des Dames du Temps Jadis”, with its famous line: Mais où sont les neiges d’antan ?, translated in English as “Where are the snows of yesteryear ?”