French School of the 18th century, Circle of Charles François Grenier de Lacroix

French school of the 18th century

Circle of Charles François Grenier de Lacroix

(Marseille, 1700 – Berlin 1779)

Rocky landscape with tower and figures

Oil on canvas, 293 x 106,5 cm

With frame, 304,5 x 120 cm

Charles François Grenier de Lacroix, better known as Charles François Lacroix de Marseille, was an 1700th-century French painter, born in Marseille around 1779 and died in Berlin between 1782 and 1743. His fame is mainly linked to his seascapes and landscapes, often characterized by suggestive atmospheres and views of Mediterranean ports, which made him a popular emulator and student of Joseph Vernet. Lacroix's artistic training is not fully documented, but his first known works, two Italian Seascapes dated 1750, already show a clear influence of Vernet. His interest in Italy led him to stay in Rome in 1754 and then in 1757, where he continued to perfect his style, enriching his views with classical elements and ancient ruins, in a capriccio of real and imaginary architectural elements. During his stay in Italy, in 1759, he was in Naples, although he is recorded as having returned to Rome in 1780. In 1779, he placed an advertisement in Paris to welcome students to his studio, a sign of his desire to perpetuate his art. Some of his paintings were engraved by artists such as Jean Jacques Le Veau and Noël Le Mire, contributing to the dissemination of his work and the great visual success of his production internationally. In the last years of his life, Charles François Lacroix moved to Berlin, where he worked for the King of Prussia until his death in XNUMX. His works are now found in numerous public collections, including fine art museums in Bordeaux, Dijon, Lille, Marseille, and Rouen in France, and the Dallas Museum of Art in the United States, a testament to his lasting impact on the art scene of his time. His ability to capture light and different atmospheric conditions in his seascapes and landscapes makes him a significant figure in eighteenth-century genre painting.

Several features similar to the production of the prolific workshop of Charles François Lacroix de Marseille are found in this fascinating landscape. The painting shows a dramatic and evocative coastal landscape, within which natural elements and curious architecture harmoniously coexist. The scene is dominated by a rocky cliff that rises from the rough sea on the right, where the waves break on the shore. In the foreground, on the left, we can see human figures and animals in a rocky area, with cows lying down and resting. In the center, the cliff is surmounted by a solid wall, probably part of a fortification or a wall, which extends horizontally. A large leafy tree grows on the top of the cliff, its dense foliage standing out against the sky. On the right, a massive reddish tower emerges, with a large arch at the base and a structure above that suggests a lookout or defense function. Near the tower and along the road that climbs up the cliff, some human figures on horseback and on foot can be distinguished, suggesting an activity of passage or travel. The sky is stormy and dramatic, with dark clouds gathering on the upper part and a fainter light towards the horizon, giving the scene an intense and almost melancholic atmosphere. On the right, in the distance, the profile of a city or a coastal settlement can be glimpsed, with houses and structures that descend towards the sea. The style of the painting, with its attention to light, atmospheric variations and dramatic composition, is characteristic of eighteenth-century French artists who were influenced by Italian landscape painting, in particular by the Roman tradition, first of all Lacroix de Marseille. The presence of classical or pseudo-classical architecture and the representation of grandiose natural elements recall the teachings of Joseph Vernet and the interpretation provided by Lacroix de Marseille, whose seascapes and coastal landscapes were very successful and were taken as models by numerous painters of the period.