Franck Bail (1858 - 1924) ''blacksmith Shop''

Oil on canvas, signed lower left Bail

The composition emphasizes the grueling task and muscular strength of the blacksmiths. The space, whose surroundings remain fairly neutral, is dominated by dark tones of gray, blue and black, illuminated in the center by the red touch of the glowing piece of metal on the anvil. The scene is captured on the spot, as the protagonists work attentively together.

Franck Bail has accustomed us to his intimate scenes, but he has rarely treated the dark, confined atmosphere of this anonymous forge. The eye is first drawn to the oblique light falling from a large window and that emanating from the fires spouting from the furnaces. Several scenes unfold simultaneously, corresponding to different stages of production. The most legible is at the center of the picture: the blacksmith under the eye of his assistant blacksmith, who is stirring the bellows to fan the embers in the hearth. The play of chiaroscuro lends a grandiose, terrifying dimension to this lair where small men master the forces of the earth.