Impressionist watercolour signed Girot - 19th century - French school

Watercolour of late summer in perfect condition signed François-Joseph GIROT (1873-1916), a referenced painter. This very realistic watercolour depicts a bucolic landscape treated with softness and finesse in the great tradition of French Romantic naturalists. In the foreground, a dirt path winds like an axis of atmospheric perspective leading the viewer's gaze into the distance. On either side of this path, tall trees rise, painted with great skill, creating a backdrop effect: vaporous foliage in transparency and slight overlaps that seem to allow us to hear the whisper of the wind in the branches. In the background, distant hills and a narrow stream can be discerned, enhancing the depth and tranquility of the landscape. The composition is balanced as the wooded masses frame the central path, creating a natural and immersive perspective. The harmony of the chromatic colours is soft, with an alternation of olive greens and bluish greens, browns and ochres for the earth and trunks, soft yellows for the illuminated foliage, and pinks and oranges in the sky suggesting a moment of transition between the end of an afternoon and the beginning of an evening. This warm light grazing the trees caresses the scene with a peaceful atmosphere. In this work, nature is ordered and invites contemplation. The gradual reduction of contrasts, the paler colouring of the distant areas, and the blur of the silhouettes in the background testify to a mastered use of atmospheric perspective. The pinkish, diffuse, and slightly misty sky ultimately contributes to softening the transitions. Frame dimensions: 31 cm x 37 cm. Artwork dimensions: 17.5 cm x 24 cm. Very serious seller.