Esquisse pour l'Hôtel de Ville de Paris, escalier des Fêtes : les génies des fêtes

Luc-Olivier Merson's esquisse for the Hôtel de Ville depicting 'Les Génies des Fêtes' (The Spirits of the Celebrations, 1888) is a preparatory study for one of the ceiling or lunette panels of the great decorative program. The 'Génies des Fêtes' — festive spirits — are allegorical figures appropriate to a civic building whose staircase was decorated for celebrations and official receptions. Merson's capacity to create believable allegorical figures invested with grace and movement — not merely painted symbols but living presences — was a defining quality of his decorative work. The work is in the Petit Palais.

The esquisse presents the allegorical festive spirits in dynamic movement, carrying the attributes of celebration. Merson's figure drawing has the refinement and energy that distinguishes his best decorative work. The handling is warm and luminous, with a palette suited to festive allegory rather than solemn religious or civic themes.