École française (XX) - Notre Dame

Pictura Subastas presents this magnificent artwork belonging to the French school, depicting a grand blue cathedral seen from a square with trees and passersby, uniting historical monumentality with the serenity of daily life. The painting stands out for its excellent technique and the high pictorial quality it transmits.

· Framed dimensions: 36x30x4 cm.
· Unframed dimensions: 30x24 cm.
· Mixed media, hand-signed by the artist at the bottom right.
· The piece is in good conservation condition.
· The work is sold with a precious frame (included in the auction as a gift).

The work originates from an exclusive private collection in Girona.

Important note: the photographs included form an integral part of the lot description. Digital representation in a mockup is indicative; there may be differences compared to the actual item in color, scale, and details.

The painting will be professionally packed by an IVEX expert (https://www.instagram.com/ivex.online/), using high-quality materials to ensure its protection. The shipping price covers both the cost of professional packaging and the transport itself.
Shipping will be carried out by Correos, GLS or NACEX with tracking. International shipping available.

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This painting presents an evocative urban scene featuring the imposing facade of a grand cathedral, viewed from a landscaped space with trees, vegetation, and small human figures. The architecture occupies most of the composition and rises with a monumental presence, while the people in the foreground introduce scale, movement, and a daily dimension. The whole is enveloped in a luminous, dreamlike atmosphere, dominated by blues, greens, and soft yellows.

The cathedral rises from the bottom to reach the upper edge of the work. Its facade appears constructed through a succession of vertical lines that emphasize its height and monumentality. The light blue and dark blue tones alternate with beige and whitish areas, creating an architecture that seems to dematerialize under the light and partly fuse with the sky.

At the lower part of the building, several entrances topped with pointed arches can be distinguished. These vertical, narrow forms evoke religious historical architecture and guide the gaze to the higher levels. The blue-toned shadows inside the arches contrast with the brightness of the walls and add depth to the façade.

In the central area, a large circular opening stands out, reminiscent of a rosette. Its round shape breaks with the predominance of vertical lines and becomes one of the main visual centers of the composition. Around it appear other elongated windows and small architectural elements that suggest the building’s decorative richness without detailing every feature rigidly.

The upper part shows several vertical structures that could correspond to towers, buttresses, or large windows. These forms rise against a clear, luminous surface, extending the architecture upward. The blue gains a special intensity here, giving the building a light, airy appearance as if the cathedral were formed by light, air, and reflections.

To the right stands a large tree with a dark trunk and a green crown. Its branches extend over part of the façade, creating an organic contrast with the building’s geometry. The curved shapes of the vegetation soften the architecture’s verticality and establish a dialogue between nature and human construction.

The vegetation extends horizontally through the central and lower areas. The intense greens, turquoise, and blue hues form a band of shrubs that separates the cathedral from the space where the figures move. This garden area brings freshness and evokes a square or park facing the monument.

In the foreground several human figures are distributed irregularly. Some walk alone, while others seem to form small groups or couples. Their silhouettes are built with dark, red, brown, and blue colors, and their small size reinforces the impressive scale of the building rising behind them.

A figure dressed in blue occupies the lower central zone and appears to pause in front of the cathedral. Its isolated position and orientation toward the monument make the character a possible representation of the viewer within the scene. Through this figure, the work invites contemplation of the architecture and the experience of its grandeur from a human perspective.

The foreground ground is divided by horizontal blueish lines that could suggest the edge of a curb, a street, or a division within the square. These bands provide stability to the composition and contrast with the intense verticality of the cathedral and trees. At the same time, they create different depth levels between the observer, the figures, and the building.

The sky and light are expressed through pale yellows, creams, soft greens, and white areas. This luminosity envelops the architecture and generates a warm atmosphere, despite the predominance of blues. The combination of cool and warm colors conveys a sense of serenity and transforms the urban scene into a vision filled with sensitivity.

The composition blends the monumental with the everyday. The cathedral represents permanence, history, and spirituality, while the small figures embody the fleeting movement of daily life. The tree and the gardens act as elements of union between both worlds, integrating the architecture within a living, inhabited environment.

Overall, the work offers a poetic and luminous interpretation of a grand cathedral viewed from a gardened square. The blue tones of the façade, the green of the trees, and the presence of passersby create a balanced scene in which history, nature, and urban life coexist harmoniously. The painting conveys admiration for the architecture and turns a quotidian moment before the monument into an experience of contemplation and beauty.