Alexandre Francia (1817–1884) - Herons Near A Waterfall - Oil

Alexandre Thomas FRANCIA
(Calais, 1817 –Brussels, 1884)

Herons near a waterfall,probably in Scotland

Oil on canvas
Signed lower right
48 x 68 cm

There is still some doubt about Alexandre ThomasFrancia's date of birth. Somebelieve he was born in London on April 1, 1815. Indeed, his parents havingchosen to emigrate during the revolutionary period, the Francia family tookrefuge in London from 1790. We then find them in Calais from 1817. However,according to the information contained in Salon booklets, Alexandre Thomas wasindeed born in Calais…
That being said, Alexandre Thomas was the son of theFrench landscape painter François Louis Thomas Francia (1772-1839), renownedduring his lifetime for his watercolor talents, whose favorite theme wasseascapes.Obviously, a student of his father, Alexandre Thomaswould also be a renowned painter and watercolorist in the same specialty. Hetraveled to the Netherlands around 1831, discovered Brussels in 1835, and thenItaly, particularly Naples and Venice. He alsotraveled throughout France, clearly drawn to Brittany, before leaving forIreland and then Scotland.
His first official submission was in 1831 at the DouaiSalon, where he exhibited a Dutch seascape alongside his father. Thiswas followed by his first participation in the Paris Salon four years later in1835. His last participation in this Salon was in 1866, with his finalsubmission being a painting entitled Souvenir d’Ecosse, perhaps ourpainting.
Alexandre Thomas also pursued an international career,participating in the Salons of London, Vienna (he won a medal at the 1873exhibition), Antwerp in 1861 and 1864, Ghent in 1862, and Brussels, where hereceived a gold medal in 1851. It was in this city that he would settlepermanently. Hebreathed his last there on July 23, 1884.For his artistic merits, Alexandre Thomas was made aKnight of the Order of Leopold (Belgium), Knight of the Order of Medjidié(Turkey), Crown of Oak (Holland), and Commander of the Order of Isabella(Portugal).

Museums:Calais, Königsberg (Poland)…

In this composition, typical of naturalist romanticism,Alexandre Francia depicts an alpine scene crossed by a fast-flowing, steeptorrent, punctuated by the presence of two herons at the water's edge. Thepainter excels in capturing the dynamics of the waterfall, the rocky textures,and the richness of the vegetation. Thiswork, combining naturalistic rigor and poetic sensitivity, reflects thefascination of 19th century artists, like his contemporaries Alexandre Calame(1810-1864) and Gustave Doré (1832-1883), for majestic nature.