Ecole Européenne vers 1930 - Temple de Philae

Oil on cardboard depicting the Temple of Philae, one of the most famous monuments of the Nile. Philae has long fascinated the entire world, both for its beauty and for the incredible history of the site, which in the 20th century became a symbol in its own right: an ancient temple whose image has traveled around the planet at the very moment its fate was being decided with major projects on the Nile and conservation issues.
What is striking is the contrast between the dissemination of the motif and its presence in painting. Philae is everywhere in photography — postcards, travel albums, reports — to the point of being immediately recognizable. In contrast, in painting, the subject is much less common: it requires a true composition, a rendering of the stone, the light, and especially the water, which is an integral part of the Philae myth. This is precisely what makes this type of oil painting interesting: it moves from a 'documented' image to an artist's vision, more personal, more sensitive.
Philae is inseparable from water. The temple was located on an island in the Nile, and its relationship with the river was part of its identity: access, rituals, and the natural staging of the sanctuary. The monument is mainly from the Ptolemaic period, with Roman additions, and its primary purpose was religious — a large sanctuary dedicated to Isis, at the heart of a major pilgrimage and worship site. In the 20th century, this connection to water became even more meaningful, as the rising water levels made the site vulnerable, paradoxically increasing its notoriety and the 'iconic' value of its images.
Furthermore, in the 1920s, Egypt experienced a genuine artistic revival: Egyptomania modernized, driven by archaeological discoveries, the Art Deco taste for stylized forms, and the growing allure of travel to the Nile.

I couldn't identify the monogram in the bottom left.