Francois Louis Thomas Francia 1772-1839

Musee des Beaux-Arts, Calais, Louis Francia 1772-1839, 1989, no. 101

Drawn on the road to Boulogne, Francia has chosen an open vantage point from which to draw a distant view of the town of Saint Omer. Employing a slightly raised perspective, the viewer of this particular watercolour is invited to journey along the tracks of this idyllic country road. Figures engaged in the pool to the left, and pausing to survey the view in the centre of the composition arrest our attention, before we delve further into the scene towards the village of Watten in the middle foreground. But it is the silhouette of the steeples, towers and town wall of Saint Omer which ultimately draws our attention. This watercolour is thought to date from 1826.