French school of the last third of the 18th century

French School; Last third of the 18th century.
"Landscapes".
Oil on canvas.
They present framing labels on the back.
Measurements: 58,5 x 98 cm (x2); 69 x 112 cm (frame, x2).
In both images, the painter offers us a rural landscape, which is largely idealized. Both show the artist's interest in capturing the waters of a calm lake or sea, which becomes the protagonist of both landscapes to a great extent. The sky is strongly illuminated by a bright, golden light that brings a great warmth to the works. In fact, the author's own use of light here conveys a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere that invites the viewer to meditate and contemplate himself in the landscape. The splashed tones of the grass, the leaf-covered branches of the trees, as well as the radiant light and the cloudless tone of the sky, invite one to think of a hot summer day. The artist has created in each work a composition of great balance and classicism, and integrates some pictorial contributions of a personal nature such as the interest in capturing light, atmosphere, and detail that is blurred in some cases. In both canvases the presence of human figures is reflected, although it is true that in one of them this presence is greater, both in number and in prominence. An example of this are the rowers of a boat, and the two figures that are located in the left area of the composition, one of the characters standing out for his striking red coat. However, in the other image there are only two characters that can hardly be perceived due to their small dimensions. This characteristic indicates the great relevance of capturing the landscape, with respect to the representation of the human figure.

The aesthetics of these works show a certain inspiration coming from the work of Joseph Vernet, who must have begun his training with his father, the painter Antoine Vernet, and later entered as an apprentice in the workshop of Philippe Sauvan, where he devoted himself mainly to religious painting. Later he became a disciple of Jacques Vialia, in whose studio in Aix-en-Provence he awakened his interest in landscapes, a genre to which he would devote his work from then on. It was around this time that he produced his first works as an independent painter. Vernet completed his artistic training in Italy, making drawings of ancient art, and in fact he remained there for twenty years. The sight of the sea in Marseilles and his trip to Civitavecchia awakened his passion for marine themes, leading him to join the workshop of the marine painter Bernardino Fergioni. From then on he developed a language particularly sensitive to atmospheric effects, thanks to the careful observation of nature, characterized by the perfect integration of the human figure in the landscape. He is currently represented in museums around the world, including the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Louvre and the National Gallery in London.