Spanish school of the second half of the 19th century."The Soldiers", 1886.Oil on canvas.Signed "

Spanish school of the second half of the 19th century.
"The Soldiers", 1886.
Oil on canvas.
Signed "C. France 86" in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 51 x 73 cm; 73 x 97 cm (frame).
In this work the author reflects, with great narrative and attention to detail, a scene in which several infantrymen, in blue uniform and armed with long rifles, run down a dirt road, leaving their hiding place behind them. The first, already on the road, is in the foreground, and is shown blowing his bugle. At his feet is a small dog at a trot, a secondary detail that reinforces the narrative of the scene and adds both realism and a sense of dynamism. The rest of the soldiers appear arriving on the road, their feet still hidden from view, and those in the background are blurred by the distance, reflecting the skilful use of atmospheric resources. It is also worth mentioning the work of the stage, conceived as a theatrical set design. The foreground is clearly separated from the background, something common in the romantic landscape that has survived in this work, and the background is thus the broad sky, obscured at the bottom by the smoke of a distant battle. This simple but effective detail allows the viewer to reconstruct the narrative, imagining the defeated soldiers fleeing the battlefield to regroup at the bugle call. In terms of style, this work combines atmospheric sensitivity and dynamic narration with special attention to the details of the soldiers' clothing and weapons, elements depicted with an almost documentary thoroughness, in the style of painters of the period such as José Cusachs (1851-1908).