An Orientalist painting by French artist Paul Lazerges, depicting men and boys returning along a rural path in Algeria at dusk. Their burnous and turbans are rendered with naturalistic precision, the procession contrasted against the fading light of the hills. Signed and dated lower left “PAUL LAZERGES / 1885.” Preserved in excellent antique condition, the original frame underwent a minor retouching.
Paul Lazerges (1845–1902) was a French painter active in Algeria, the son of Hippolyte Lazerges (1817–1887), who had settled in Algiers and established himself as a painter of local life and landscapes. Paul trained under his father and developed a practice rooted in the observation of North African subjects, continuing the family’s close ties to Algeria.
Exhibiting regularly at the Paris Salon, Lazerges became known for genre scenes depicting processions, village life, and figures in traditional dress, rendered with careful naturalism and an interest in atmospheric effects. His work reflects both academic discipline and an ethnographic approach, making him a distinctive voice among French painters of North African life in the late 19th century.