Early 19th century, Camp scenes

Early 19th century Camp scenes (2) Oil on panel, 24.5 x 33 cm With frame, 34 x 43 cm These two small panels depict camp scenes in which soldiers rest or prepare for battle during a military campaign. The settings appear distinct from both a landscape and climatic point of view: the long coats worn by the troops gathered around the fire to warm themselves suggest the cold season, while the sunny sky, light uniforms, and green vegetation of the other panel suggest a milder time of year. The tonal differences, colder on one side and lighter and warmer on the other, seem to emphasize this distinction, which also develops in the actions of the characters: the static nature of the recruits gathered around the bonfire, sheltered by the walls of a ruined building, is contrasted by the industrious movement of the men-at-arms, located both in the foreground and in the distance, intent on setting up and preparing the bivouacs. One might think of two separate moments, but part of the same campaign, to be placed chronologically at the beginning of the nineteenth century and to be identified with one of the campaigns of the French army: the tents, the blue and white of the uniforms, the hats and caps of the soldiers, and the bayonets are configured with those used by the Napoleonic armies in the wars fought in Europe between 1803 and 1815. Austerlitz (1805), Jena (1806), Wagram (1809), the entire Russian campaign are just some of the possible war scenarios in which the camp scenes depicted here could be placed. The landscape is the undisputed protagonist, although the human figures, sketched with rapid and dense strokes of color, carve out a part that is not just an appearance: the two soldiers lying in the foreground tell of an ephemeral lightheartedness despite the tragedy and the hardships of the wars, while the man with a bayonet with his back turned makes us pause to reflect on the future that awaits him and his companions. The colors are spread in broader, more textured and full-bodied brushstrokes in the rendering of the sky and the landscape in general, managing to mix, blend and harmonize the general tone of the composition, in which the iridescent colors can still be appreciated depending on the degree of lighting, the clouds or fumes, or the type of vegetation.