Attributed to Ange François

Attributed to ANGE FRANÇOIS (Brussels, 1800-Ixelles, Brussels, 1867).
"Gallant encounter by the dam".
Oil on panel.
Measurements: 39 x 31 cm; 52 x 44 cm (frame).

This painting is fully related to the artistic language of Ange François, both for its subject matter and its technical execution. The artist develops here an elegant and intimate genre scene, built from an everyday episode treated with narrative refinement and emotional sensitivity, very characteristic features of his production. The balanced composition, the silent dialogue between the figures and the serene atmosphere respond to that bourgeois and sentimental universe that François cultivated throughout his career. The delicate workmanship of the painting is particularly noteworthy: the soft modeling of the faces, the precision of the drawing, the polished finish of the surface and the meticulous description of the material qualities - the hare's fur, the satin fabrics, the embroidered shawl or the vegetation in the background - are evidence of a careful and academic technique, heir to the Flemish and Dutch tradition of the 17th century that so influenced the painter.

Ange François was a painter specialized in genre scenes, portraits and historical painting, initially trained by his father, the artist Pierre Joseph Célestin François, and later at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels; his work evolved from an academic style towards compositions inspired by 17th century Dutch painting, standing out for representing domestic interiors, family scenes and literary characters with great detail and sensitivity, and he actively participated in the main artistic salons of Belgium and France during the first half of the 19th century.