French school of the early 20th century

French school of the early 20th century.
"Gentleman", 1919.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated in the lower left corner.
It has damage to the gilt frame.
Measurements: 91 x 65 cm; 111 x 84 cm (frame).

A handsome gentleman leans his right elbow on the base of a thick column, in the interior of a church whose main nave is seen crowded with parishioners. The figure occupies an elevated position, a second level of the Gothic cathedral, so that the crowd is reduced to a swarm of small heads under stylized stained glass windows with pointed frames decorated with rosettes. The costume and the appearance of the character have been detailed with virtuoso care: lace cuffs and collar, velvet doublet, puffed sleeves, haughty countenance with trimmed beard and bushy moustache.... The treatment of the light, which falls on the face from the upper angle and models the aristocratic features, stands out above all. The verism is remarkable, even faithfully representing the veins that furrow the back of the hands and the faint glow that lights up the cheeks exposed to the evening light filtered through the stained glass windows.