French or Italian school of the early eighteenth... Lot 16

French or Italian school of the early eighteenth century. "Landscape with figures". Oil on canvas. Re-framed. With frame of the 19th century. Size: 54 x 73 cm; 77 x 93 cm (frame). One of the most radical aspects of Romantic painting was the attempt to replace the large canvases of historical or religious theme by the landscape. They intended the pure landscape, almost without figures or totally devoid of them, to attain the heroic significance of history painting. They were based on the idea that human feeling and nature should be complementary, one reflected in the other. That is, the landscape should arouse emotion and transmit ideas. Thus, landscape painters like the author of this canvas tried to express their feelings through the landscape, instead of imitating it. The romantic landscape had two main aspects: the dramatic, with turbulent and fantastic views, and the naturalistic, which emphasized images of a peaceful and serene nature. This second conception is the one we see embodied in this work; the painter tries to communicate a religious reverence for the landscape, nature in plenitude, free from the industrial elements of modern life, although enriched by the presence of a traditional house over the waterfall, perfectly integrated into the landscape. In fact, the author's use of light here conveys a warm, dreamlike atmosphere that invites the viewer to meditate and contemplate himself in the landscape.