Édouard Desplechin

ÉDOUARD DESPLECHIN (France, 1802-1871).
"Vue d'Italie".
Watercolor on paper.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 46 x 72 cm; 64 x 89,5 cm (frame).

In this landscape painting Édouard Desplechin's experience as a scenographer is evident, since we are before a sublime scenery, of subjugating character, before which the figures (Dominican friars) are minimized. The environment is impregnated with a spiritual atmosphere typical of the monastic environment nestled in a wooded setting. Warm tones dominate, accentuating the romantic and idealized character of an Italian corner.

Édouard Desplechin was a painter and one of the most famous French set designers of his time. Desplechin created numerous sets for the great operas and plays of the Romantic era, working closely with composers of the stature of Meyerbeer, Verdi, Gounod and Wagner. His workshop was later taken over by Eugène Carpezat and Jean-Baptiste Lavastre. Bibliography: Jean-Maxime Levêque, "Édouard Desplechin, le décorateur du grand opéra à la française" (1802-1871), L'Harmattan, collection "Univers musical", 2008.