Belgium won its independence from The Netherlands in 1830 and 1831, but its artistic links to that country and France remained strong. However, between 1890 and the First World War Belgium showed a rich blossoming of artistic talent that was distinctly its own. While Toussaint, as other young student painters, accepted a solid grounding in the traditional academic techniques, he, as his fellow students, was encouraged to move away from a limited or narrow understanding and use of those techniques. Toussaint’s brushwork in A Portrait shows this independence as well as the role the use of color played in his training. Toussaint has rendered this work in loose, skillful brush strokes creating wonderful color harmonies that convey an intimate mood. He was a careful handler of flesh tints and costume and drapery. The face posse’s wonderful naturalness. The influence of Alfred Stevens, the Belgium portrait painter, is seen in the quiet charm, depth, and sensitivity Toussaint has brought to the portrait of this lovely woman. Her gaze is clear and open and suggests a person who enjoys the company of others.