Figures near a Fountain c. 1870 - 1886

Adolphe Monticelli’s “Figures near a Fountain” is a mid-19th century painting made with oil on wood. Notice how the brushstrokes are loaded with paint, almost sculptural in their three-dimensionality. Monticelli favored a direct, improvisational painting method. The built-up texture gives the impression of a quick, all-over composition. His intention wasn't to create a realistic scene, but rather to evoke a mood or feeling. The figures are ambiguous and indistinct. They aren't individualized, almost becoming another element of the landscape. Monticelli's work went against the grain of the academic painting style that still dominated art schools in the 19th century. His looser style offered a challenge to traditional hierarchy, liberating painting from the demand to be illusionistic. Monticelli elevated the simple application of paint, making the labor of art itself the subject of the work. Recognizing the inherent qualities of materials, and the conditions of the work's production, allow us to fully appreciate the meaning of the work.