The feast after the exam - Gaston Hoffmann (1883-1977)

Gaston Hoffmann 1883-1977

Gaston Hoffmann's work is on a rare scale, highlighting his genius as a draughtsman, illustrator and caricaturist.

With this creation, Hoffmann pays tribute to the students who braved the exams.

At the center of the composition, a table is set, around which are feasting emblematic figures from the history, literature and philosophy taught at the school. These include Marie de Médicis, Joan of Arc, Napoleon, Jean de La Fontaine, Molière and the philosophers of the Enlightenment.

In the upper left-hand section, heroic and epic rides are staged, while below, a world map evokes the great civilizations.

All these characters and symbols seem to emerge from the sky, carried by a "fantastic" machine, surging across the canvas in an atmosphere worthy of a silent film.