19th century FRENCH SCHOOL, Entourage of Pierre Jerome LORDON
Atala and Chactas crossing a river in Florida
Oil on canvas
37.5 x 49 cm
"When we met a river, we crossed it on a raft or by swimming. Atala leaned one of her hands on my shoulder; and, like two travelling swans, we crossed these lonely waves.
Taken from François-René de Chateaubriand's novel Atala, published in 1801, the scene depicts Atala and Chactas on a raft crossing a Florida river during their flight. This short novel about the love of two Indians is the work that will bring glory to its author.
The story takes place in 1725. Accepted as a warrior by the Natchez Indians, René is adopted by Chactas, one of their most respected chiefs. One night, while they were on an expedition, René asked him for the story of his adventures. Chactas tells him how, after being taken prisoner by a tribe, he was saved by Atala and ran away with her to live a tragic passion. This novel seems to be one of the favourite themes of the painter Pierre-Jérôme Lordon. He was indeed noticed at the Salon of 1808, where he received a gold medal for his Communion of Atala after the novel by Chateaubriand. (We thank Adélaïde Lefebvre for writing this text)
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