Mario Carl-Rosa (1853-1913) - Summer French landscape

This masterful 19th-century oil painting by the French Impressionist Mario Carl-Rosa (1853-1913) captures the pure, serene essence of a languid French summer day along the Seine River. What makes this particular masterpiece by Mario Carl-Rosa especially fascinating and historically valuable is a subtle, yet highly meaningful detail in the composition: the presence of the French tricolor (le tricolore). If you look closely at the horizon along the bank, you can see in the distance a small sailboat or flagpole where the blue-white-red flag flutters gently in the wind. This compositional element is rather exceptional in Carl-Rosa’s oeuvre, which usually chose to depict unspoiled, pure nature without explicit human or political symbols. In the foreground the canvas unfolds into a lush oasis of wild grasses, subtle field flowers, and sun-drenched green tones, applied with palpable dynamism and texture. Your gaze is naturally guided along the softly rolling shore, where a row of characteristic, stately trees stands out against the sky and adds depth to the expansive landscape. The absolute centerpiece of the work is the majestic rendering of light. The calm, mirror-like surface of the river merges at the horizon with a breathtaking, softly clouded sky. The subtle nuances in the color palette—from fresh summer greens to warm, powdery pastel tones in the sky—create an atmosphere of ultimate tranquility and nostalgic French romance. Encased in a monumental, gold-pilded ornamented frame with an authentic copper nameplate, this painting is not only a historical work of art but a timeless window to the French countryside that brings atmosphere, class, and character to any interior. - Artist: Mario Carl-Rosa (1853-1913) - Medium: oil on panel - Period: late 19th century - Dimensions: 32 x 55 cm (h x w) - Including frame: 44 x 67 cm (h x w) - Offered for sale with frame. Luxury, original gilded frame from that period. - Inscription: signed at bottom right. The French painter Mario (Marie Cornilleau Raoul) Carl-Rosa (1853 Loudon/Vienne – 1913 Garches) regularly exhibited at the Salon from 1884 to 1911. Carl-Rosa’s early works were influenced by Realism around 1830, in both palette and motifs such as the flock of sheep in an open meadow. Later his painting style developed into a more individual style with sharper contours and emphasized color contrasts: among others in numerous paintings from Eastern France (Domrémy, Patrie de Jeanne d’Arc, Salon 1901, location unknown) and in seascapes. Many paintings were purchased by foreigners, for example by Pope Pius X and Tsar Alexander III (Un Village en Lorraine, 1892). Distinctions: - 1891 honorable mention for Matinée d'automne à Saint-Loup; - 1893 Medal, 3rd class for Matinée d'automne à Jeufosse – bords de Seine and Après-midi d'automne à Jeufosse; - 1895 Medal, 2nd class for En décembre – forêt de bouleaux au bord d'un étang, in the same year the state purchased Derniers rayons d'automne – Bords de Seine (all locations unknown). - 1899 member of the Legion of Honor. Works in public collections: - AMIENS, MBA: Herfstochtend aan de oevers van de Sarthe, oil, 1890. - LOUVIERS, Mus. mun.: The Rose Gardens of the Sologne; Saint-Pierre-de-Vouvray; The Seine near Tournedos. Mirage effect; The Seine near Tosny. Summer morning; The Seine near Rangiport; The Vast Waters near Port Pinché (Eure). Literature: - Thieme/Becker Artists’ Lexicon V, 1911, 601 pages; - Vollmer V, 1961, 361; Saur; Bénézit.

Estimate:$1,003.99

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