Zandomeneghi had arrived in Paris in 1874, to update himself on the news underway in the city which at that time was considered the capital of modernity. Here the new group of Impressionists had made their debut only a few years earlier, in 1867, exhibiting in the studio of photographer Nadar. Zandomeneghi had immediately become friends with Edgar Degas, who had invited him to exhibit with the group of independents (in the exhibitions of 1879, 1880, 1882 and 1886) where he helped to consolidate the current of dessinateurs, who proposed scenes of daily intimacy placed indoors. domestic, as opposed to the colorists, who created landscapes and natural scenes shot en plein air. For his part, Zandomeneghi brought with him the solid baggage of the Venetian color and the experience among the Tuscan Macchiaioli. The protagonists of his works from the French period are often young girls who wash and comb their hair in attitudes of sweet intimacy, but also women absorbed in reading, as in the case of this work entitled * Reflection *, in which the protagonist abandons for a moment. the book he is reading, to stop and think, the gaze lost behind his thoughts. Next to her, a small table on which there is a statue of a bather, in a modern style, next to a book and a newspaper: this last detail is significant because it speaks to us of a cultured woman updated on daily events, which perhaps are at the center of the ongoing reflection, as happens for us in this moment of uncertainty. The photographic cut of the composition brings our gaze closer to the protagonist and leaves everything else beyond the edge of the canvas, where life continues.

Giovanni Boldini's success is inextricably linked to Paris, where he moved in 1872, and he soon achieved considerable success establishing himself as the most fashionable portrait painter in the city, and, in a short time, of international high society. In this 'Galant Scene', we note the swirling material dynamism that distinguishes his more experimental painting. His rapid brushstroke, imbued with light and color, highlights the charm and luxury of Parisian society. Through the paintings of Giovanni Boldini we have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the world of vices and ease that characterized the belle époque, experiencing for a few moments the Parisian charm of the end of the 19th century.