French school, second half of the 19th century.

French school, second half of the 19th century.
"Gallant scene with harlequin".
Oil on canvas.
Signed "Rousin" in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 74 x 58 cm; 101 x 88 cm (frame).
The characters of the Italian Commedia dell'Arte were popularized in the European nineteenth-century painting, finding in each region an own expression. The French school often placed the characters in a natural setting, such as the leafy forest glade shown here: the harlequin adopts an elegant, devious step as he seems to whisper something in Luchinda's attentive ear. The young woman, however, remains withdrawn and melancholic. A third character appears in the undergrowth. The stylistic treatment is typical of the gallant and hedonistic theme, specifying the sumptuous smoothness of the clothes and their colorfulness, as well as the aristocratic gestures. As for the landscape, it is resolved with rapid brushstrokes based on small intuitive touches that presage the important development of French landscape painting during the second half of the 19th century. The treetops acquire a fluffy appearance, wrapped in subtle chromatic shifts, which confer a highly lyrical character to the scene.