Etienne Tournés

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting has been fairly recently restored and in its current frame, it should be hung as is. The canvas has been lined using wax as an adhesive. The paint layer is stable. At some point in the past numerous structural damages occurred to the picture and, most likely in step with these damages, the paint layer has been over cleaned and also flattened with successive linings. Nonetheless the restoration has mitigated these issues and present the picture well. Under ultraviolet light some of the restorations are visible, some are not, and they are regularly applied throughout the picture. One can see with the naked eye some tears in the white cloud in the center of the sky. Similar damages are visible throughout the picture, particularly on the left side, running through the crowd, the balloons and running up through the architecture in the sky. There is fairly noticeable abrasion to some of the darker colors in the figure groups, and while it is hard to be positive about the condition of this picture, it looks well and should be hung as is
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As elaborate and exuberant demonstrations of national pride, nineteenth century celebrations of Bastille Day are credited with ushering in the Belle Epoque. Charles Rearick provides a compelling account of the palpable excitement that pervaded the first 14 Juillet: "A warm, sunny day, it was a holiday unlike any other.  Not even a rainstorm in the evening could spoil it. In Paris it had begun with a volley of cannon shots at 8 am; in the country, several hours earlier, villagers had awakened to fanfares of rifle fire and ringing church bells; firecrackers and band music followed.  Streets were bedecked with flags and bunting, and in some places banners, garlands and triumphal arches as well.  Parts of central Paris became a gala stage set, a sparkling mosaic of red, white and blue. At night, gas lamps and electric lights and Venetian lanterns brought a rare cheering radiance to main streets and squares.  Fireworks from six locations emblazoned and bombarded the night sky.  No one could take July 14, 1880 as just another day" (Pleasures of the Belle Epoque, Yale University, 1985, p. 3).

In Hundredth Anniversary of July 14th, Bastille Day, Etienne Tournes aptly captures the collective energy of the vibrant holiday. He successfully employs a ground level perspective to emphasize the density of the raucous crowd, forcing the viewer into the scene, perhaps seated just behind the man gesturing to the colorful balloons. Influenced by the development of photography, this perspective also emphasizes the co-mingling of many different classes and genders, a distinctly late nineteenth century phenomenon linked with the advent of modernity.