Col du Simplon (2,005 m - 6,578 ft)
Switzerland
In "Le passage des Alpes par l'armée napoléonienne", Huile sur toile, non rentoilée, ca. 1806, 64,5 x 77 cm Private collection
About the painting
This historical painting tells how and above all where the army of Napoleon 1st crossed the Alps to enter Italy, at the Simplon Pass (Col du Simplon). The road was built between 1801 and 1805 by the engineer Nicolas Céard, on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte who wanted to open a passage for his artillery (described above); the cost was more than 8 million francs. It was also Napoleon who, on February 21, 1801, without even consulting the canons of Saint-Bernard, decided to create a hospice in every way similar to that of the Col du Grand-Saint-Bernard, of which he had a lot appreciated the usefulness. When Napoleon fell, only the first floor had been built. The building remained as it was until the mid-1820s, when work resumed and was completed in 1831.
The mountain pass
The Col du Simplon (2,005 m - 6,578 ft) (Simplon Pass in english) is a high mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It connects Brig in the canton of Valais with Domodossola in Piedmont (Italy). The pass itself and the villages on each side of it, such as Gondo, are in Switzerland. The Simplon Tunnel was built beneath the vicinity of the pass in the early 20th century to carry rail traffic between the two countries.
The lowest point of the col (pass) and the lowest point on the watershed between the basins of the Rhone and the Po in Switzerland lies in marshland about 500 m - 1,640 ft west of the Simplon Pass settlement at an altitude of 1,994 m - 6,542 ft.
Rotelsee is a lake located near the pass at an elevation of 2,028 m (6,654 ft).
There are several great peaks around that can be climbed directly from the pass. These include Wasenhorn, Hubschhorn, Breithorn (Simplon), and Monte Leone.
The French school of painting in the 19th century
This term designates artworks produced in 19th-century France that reflects the teachings of the École des Beaux-Arts, the Parisian state-sponsored art academy. Prioritizing draftsmanship over painting, the school taught students to employ fine line work and soft, blended shading in their drawings. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’s drawings, epitomize the Academic style, which is characterized by close attention to detail, near-invisible brushstrokes, and an emphasis on realistic modeling and shading. Academic painters often depicted scenes from history, literature, the Bible, or classical mythology, although this style can also be seen in pastoral scenes.
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2022 - Wandering Vertexes...
by Francis Rousseau
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