La Caucasienne

One of a cycle of “ethnic types,” this painting occupies a secondary place in the oeuvre of Girodet de Roucy-Trioson, a pupil of David and one of the foremost decorative artists of the First Empire. However, the persuasiveness of the compositional approach and the power of colour here are striking evidence that it took a considerable time before visual effect became an outmoded dogma for artists.