Possibly Louis Boulanger

French school of the first third of the 19th century, possibly LOUIS BOULANGER (Vercelli, Italy, 1806- Dijon, France, 1867) in the manner of THEÓDORE GÉRICAULT (Rouen, 1791-Paris, 1824).
"Suplicio de Ivan Mazeppa", 1820-1830.
Oil on oiled paper adhered to canvas.
Measurements: 29.5 x 40 cm; 54 x 43 cm (frame).
This work, realized in the middle of the romantic period, represents the torture of Ivan Mazeppa and derives from the poem that Lord Byron published with this subject in 1819. This poem is the terminus post quem, from which all other artistic creations related to this subject emerged throughout the nineteenth century. Théodore Géricault was the first to paint this subject in 1821, with a style and technique similar to this sketch. Given Géricault's influence among the younger painters and followers of the emerging romanticism at that time, it could be said that, intentionally, it has been done in the manner of Géricault (perhaps by some painter close to him, or at least by someone very well acquainted with his personal technique). Eugène Delacroix, on the other hand, was also interested in this subject, and he proposed exactly the same composition of the sketch that concerns us in a sketch executed in 1823. The attribution to Louis Boulanger is considered, since he, along with Eugène Devéria and Eugène Delacroix, were painters who were very successful at the Salon of 1827 (in fact, they became known as "The School of 1827"). The works that these painters presented were respectively "The torture of Mazeppa", "The birth of Henry IV" and "The death of Sardanapalus". All of them of large size. Boulanger's work, awarded with a medal, is of such large dimensions that, necessarily, it presents some differences with this small sketch. However, some compositional aspects do coincide between the two works. In short, it is a work of the full French romanticism, whose author could well be Louis Boulanger emulating the style, technique and some compositional elements of Géricault.
French painter, lithographer and illustrator of romantic style, Louis Boulanger was trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris. He attended the Guillaume Guillon Lethière workshop and received a solid classical training. After unsuccessfully applying for the Prix de Rome in 1824, he became a companion of Eugène Devéria and a close friend of Victor Hugo and frequented the Parisian romantic circles. He achieved considerable success at the Salon of 1827, winning a medal for his Suplicio de Mazeppa (a work now in the Museum of Fine Arts in Rouen), in a salon that was of exceptional importance for the new school. He portrayed numerous personalities of the time, the most famous of his works being the portrait of Balzac in monk's habit (a work now in the Museum of Fine Arts in Tours). He also produced numerous illustrations for the works of Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, as well as a series of bizarre lithographs on fantastic subjects, in accordance with the frenzied fashion of certain artists of the time.