Painting By Francois Reynaud (marseille 1825 – Paris 1909), "after The Show"

Francois Reynaud (Marseille 1825 – Paris 1909), "After the Show", second half of the 19th century.

Oil on canvas.

H. 130 x 87 cm.

Signed lower left "F. Reynaud"

The painting depicts a young man dressed in circus attire. The boy is portrayed after the show, resting under a green tent; his body is twisted, his gaze tired. The drummer is accompanied in his act by a small, brown-furred primate, likely a spider monkey, depicted making its call.

The work offers an example of Reynaud's studies of light: the dim light of the scene allows him to use a grazing, natural light that illuminates the figures.

BIOGRAPHY

François Reynaud was born in Marseille in 1825. At the city's Ecole des Beaux-Arts, he studied first with Augustin Aubert and then with Emile Loubon, known for his Provençal landscapes.

In 1848, he made his debut at the Salon, where he continued to exhibit in subsequent years. He was awarded a bronze medal at the 1889 Universal Exhibition.

Throughout his career, Reynaud demonstrated remarkable versatility, both in his subject matter and in his use of light and color. Alongside the poetic rendering of landscape, brilliantly mastered under Loubon, he combined a refined study of the psyche of his subjects. His predilection for rural and folkloristic subjects marked him as an artist with an almost demological gaze, halfway between Realism and Romanticism.

He died in Paris in 1909.

Bibliography:
- E. Bénézit, Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs. III. L-Z, p. 599