Impressions of Enforced Mobility. On the Waterfront: Eugeen van Mieghem, Harbour Painter

As a child of the port of Antwerp, Eugeen van Mieghem was fascinated by the colourful hustle and bustle of life at the dockside. His origins determined his later art. He did not need to go in search of inspiration, for the world was on his doorstep. Driven by his youthful idealism, he left behind a unique and enduring oeuvre about the lives of ordinary people in a cosmopolitan seaport. His images of the emigrants are unique artistic and valuable historical documents, and an enduring testimony to the sympathy of a single-minded observer for people compelled to seek their fortunes elsewhere.