Algeria—The Painters of the Conquest: Eugène Fromentin and Horace Vernet

In his third book on the country where he worked as a teacher, Maurice Mauviel applies the critical perspective of an art lover and sociologist to the history of the French conquest of Algeria. An expert in interculturalism, the author analyzes little-known French works of art, savoring the subversive detail which he was allowed to photograph and which undermines the official discourse. The discussion is framed by rich documentation, including converging testimonies, letters, and newspaper and magazine articles. The author challenges the opinions of Baudelaire and Sainte-Beuve as well as select military biographies.