2017 Orsay: Henri Regnault 1870 Execution sans juge sous les rois maures

Henri Regnault: Execution without trial under the Moorish kings of Granada, 1870

Henri Regnault: Execution without tri­al under the Moorish kings of Granada, 1870.
Another example of ori­ent­al­ism, quite the oppos­ite of Guillaumet’s desert and yet com­pel­ling. It’s the hit of the room, even the most unin­ter­ested vis­it­or stops in front of it. This is what academism, which I don’t mean to dis­par­age in gen­er­al, can be cap­able of: Every detail of the com­pos­i­tion has been decided on with pur­pose. This, too, is a huge can­vas, so stand­ing in front of it you are right in the pos­i­tion of the fallen head, look­ing up at your impos­ing executioner.

Few is left of Regnault: Aged 27 he fell in the French-German war a year after fin­ish­ing this picture.