“Harmony,” a genre painting created by Alexandre Cabanel in 1877, belongs to the Academicism art movement and is currently housed in a private collection. The artwork, executed with refined detail and composition, epitomizes the serene and harmonious daily life characteristic of Academic and genre painting of the late 19th century.
The artwork portrays a tranquil domestic setting in which several figures are engaged in what appears to be a moment of musical enjoyment. Central to the composition is a young woman seated at an organ, her fingers delicately poised over the keys, embodying the titular “Harmony.” Surrounding her, other figures, dressed in typical attire of the period, are seated or reclining in various states of peaceful repose, attentive to the music. The setting is an elegantly furnished room, lit through stained glass windows, which casts a warm, diffused light throughout the scene. A quiet and contemplative atmosphere prevails, highlighting the serene interaction among the figures, and emphasizing the grace and calm of the moment captured by Cabanel’s skilled brushwork.
