19th-century French school

19th-century French school.
“View of Paris.”
Watercolor on paper.
Measurements: 13 x 22 cm; 27 x 34.5 cm (frame).

The Seine serves as the central axis of this evocative image of Paris, depicted as a dynamic space through which various boats navigate—some of them steamboats—whose plumes of smoke add a touch of modernity. Executed with a fluid brushstroke, delicate washes in ochre and grayish tones, and expressive touches of white on the water, the work reflects the interest of 19th-century French artists in capturing Paris and the Seine as settings for modern life and the profound urban and industrial transformations of the capital.