French school. End of XIX century.

French school of the late nineteenth century, early twentieth century.
"Ensoñación".
Grisaille on paper.
Apocryphal signature in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 33 x 26 cm, 51 x 44 cm (frame).

The grisaille is a pictorial technique characterized by the use of monochrome paint in order to create the sensation of depth and volume, as if it were a sculptural relief. Its use became fashionable in the 14th century, although it appeared during the Middle Ages, thanks to a group of artists who used it in sketches to achieve a relief effect by means of a nuanced chiaroscuro, generally in gray or dark yellow. It also became popular in the illumination of manuscripts or in the decoration of frames as a substitute for sculptural and architectural decoration. In its beginnings it was linked, thanks to its sober aesthetics, with religious painting, but thanks to masters such as Bruegel and Bosch, it gradually became a procedure that, through a false perspective, evidenced the painter's technical skill.
Grisaille was, in turn, used profusely in the decoration of enamels and stained glass since its beginnings in the Middle Ages.