Drawing By Pierre-victor Galland - Study For 'the Exit'

Pierre-Victor GALLAND (Geneva 1822 - 1892 Paris) Study for 'La sortie' circa 1870 graphite, pen, wash and black ink 8 x 7 cm monogrammed with the stamp 'PVG' lower left Often nicknamed the "Tiepolo of the 19th century", Pierre-Victor Galland began his training in the office of the architect Henri Labrouste, then he followed the teaching of Michel Martin Drolling and Pierre-Luc-Charles Cicéri. Very quickly, Galland abandoned academic painting and the presentation of his works at the Salon, in favor of monumental decoration. In 1851, he completed a design for the decoration of a palace in Constantinople: this event marked the beginning of his main activity: the decoration of private mansions. During the Second Empire, he received important commissions. The Jacquemart-André Museum, the Hôtel de Madame de Cassin and the Hôtel Cail are just a few of the many examples we could cite. His fame subsequently spread to the United States and then to Russia, where princes and great financiers sought him out. During the Third Republic, the artist painted The Preaching of Saint Denis at the Pantheon (1874), the medallions in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne (1886), and then, between 1888 and 1892, he was commissioned to decorate the Galerie des Métiers at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris. These were the three largest public commissions given to artists of his generation. The work on display, which is more intimate, clearly highlights the influence of 18th-century art in Galland's work, particularly the world of Gabriel de Saint-Aubin. Two characters, whom we imagine to be very well dressed, are preparing to leave their homes. The representational play is astonishing, the two protagonists take their place in a frame, designed by the artist. It is highly likely that this was designed for a setting with the theme of the art of this period.