The Belgian painter Henri Evenepoel (1872-1899), who died young, first studied at the Academy of Brussels and then took classes at Gustave Moreau's studio in Paris. Henri Matisse and Georges Rouault were his fellow students. The artists he most admired and with whom he felt a strong affinity were Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Edouard Manet. Evenepoel is usually considered to belong to the Belgian impressionists, but his art also points in the direction of the Nabis and later Fauvism. With solid outlines and compact colour masses, he creates a colourful picture of modern life in Paris. A trip to Algeria enlivened his palette with a preference for ochre and reddish-brown tones. Le Moulin Rouge can be considered a study for The Spaniard in Paris (inv. 1898-I).
