In the space of a short career, Henri Evenepoel created a powerful and highly personal oeuvre in which he managed to arrive at a synthesis of the various Modernist movements of the end of the nineteenth century. The Spaniard in Paris is a portrait of the painter Francesco Iturrino, who was a friend of Evenepoel. The monumental and sober figure of the Spaniard is one of the highlights of the history of portraiture. The life-size figure, enveloped in a black cape, is standing still in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Paris. In this daring composition, the painter depicts the life around the Moulin Rouge on a smaller scale, enhancing the majestic and imposing appearance of the Spaniard. Here, Evenepoel’s feeling for rich and deep colours is demonstrated in the harmony of black, blue, ochre and the intense red accent of the Moulin Rouge. The Spaniard in Paris was a great breakthrough in Evenepoel’s artistic development and greatly contributed to his fame. At the Ghent Salon of 1899, the poet and art critic Emile Verhaeren called the portrait ‘an almost perfect masterpiece’.
