French school, ca. 1800

French school, ca. 1800.
"Fishing day".
Oil on canvas.
Period frame.
Measurements: 44 x 70 cm; 55 x 83 x 5 cm (frame).

This canvas shows us a costumbrista scene located in a French coastal spot, with three characters fishing to the right of the composition. Over the calm, mirrored waters rise boats and what appears to be an islet with buildings. The work is part of the costumbrismo movement. Traditionally, painting and literature have been interested in popular customs and types. The arrival of romanticism enlivened this trend, bringing to the pictorial tradition the vision that foreigners had of our people, due to the snobbery of a Europeanizing and liberal national bourgeoisie that, also due to foreign influence and under the romantic fashion, turns its eyes to the people and the monuments of the past.