French school of the late 19th century.

French school of the end of the 19th century.
"The initiation".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 62 x 50 cm; 80 x 69 x 11 cm.

This work is clearly part of the French symbolism of the end of century, with echoes of decadentism and late academic idealism. The composition, closely framed, intensifies the psychological relationship between the figures, shifting the interest of the story towards emotion and atmosphere.

The nude young woman, with pearly flesh and soft modeling, responds to the idealized feminine canon of late academicism, while the figure dressed in a tunic and vegetal crown introduces an allegorical dimension. The crown of leaves - a possible bacchic allusion - and the enveloping attitude suggest a reading linked to ecstasy, initiation or sensual abandonment.

This is not a specific narrative scene, but an image loaded with symbolism: it could be interpreted as an allegory of the Awakening of Love, Inspiration, or even a duality between innocence and experience. The clothed figure, in a protective and dominant attitude, seems to guide or absorb the naked young woman, whose ascending gesture of arms and lost gaze accentuates the ecstatic character of the scene.

Stylistically, the brushstroke is loose but controlled, with special attention to the light effects in the flesh tones and the contrast between the warm red of the cloak and the vibrant bluish background, a chromatic resource very characteristic of French decorative symbolism of the 1890s-1900s. The enveloping atmosphere and the softness of the tonal transitions recall certain atmospheres close to artists like Henri Martin or even more intimate aspects of the circle of Puvis de Chavannes, although with greater sensuality and emotional charge.