Double portrait painting by Belgian painter Frans Minnaert "Dialoog".
The painting "Dialoog" by Frans Minnaert depicts two stylized human figures against a dark, abstracted background.
The right-hand figure, a nude woman, is modeled in light white and gray, with expressive brushstrokes that allow light and shadow to play across her surface. Her face is partially in darkness—a visual metaphor for inner turmoil or the unspoken.
To her left stands a second figure, possibly an older man, rendered in darker colors and less physical than shadowy.
The two figures do not look directly at each other—their "dialogue" seems rather silent, psychological, and inward. The pictorial space remains undefined, reduced to structure and symbolic effect. The impasto application of the paint and the strong contrasts create emotional tensionand open up a variety of possibilities for interpretation.
About the artist:
Frans Minnaert (4.12.1929 Idegem - 18.1.2011 Aalst)
Frans Minnaert was a Belgian painter, draftsman, and graphic artist, trained at the art academies in Aalst and Brussels (1950-1958). Minnaert was director of the Higher State School of Fine Arts in Anderlecht from 1972 to 1995. He participated in numerous international exhibitions, including the 1974 Venice Biennale with his polyptych "Genesis."
Frans Minnaert's style can be described as neo-expressionist. His early works were influenced by Flemish Expressionism, with a dark color palette. Later, he developed his own visual language. He painted fantastical, wild landscapes and people lost in nature in earthy tones. From the 1990s onwards, the female figure became the focus of his work. His works are characterized by deep emotionality, sensibility and a close connection between humans and nature.
Minnaert's monumental works are located in the Satin-Guido metro station in Brussels and in the collections of the Belgian state.
