The Painter of Almond Eyes and Parisian Nights Kees van Dongen, born Cornelis Theodorus Maria van Dongen in 1877, remains one of the most electrifying voices of the early twentieth century. Emerging from the somber, tonal traditions of the Hague School in his native Rotterdam, he underwent a radical metamorphosis upon arriving in Paris in 1897. This transition was not merely geographical but deeply psychological and aesthetic. Moving away from the muted landscapes that echoed the influence of Rembrandt, van Dongen found himself ensnively drawn to the neon pulse of Montmartre. He became a chr…