This painting is representative of Alfons Alt's work: in his mystical universe, this bearded man on a passive, even weary, mule is illuminated by some sort of candle butlers. Intriguingly, the artist takes us into a world as zany as it is dark, between darkness and light.

Alfons Alt accompanied the troupe of Bartabas, the founder of the equestrian theatre Zingaro, during their show "La cabaret de l'exil". The meeting of these two worlds plunges us into a dreamlike world populated by animals, nature and mythology. Alfons Alt walks on the borders of painting, photography and engraving by a process invented in the middle of the 19th century that he has updated and named "Altotype". By combining these processes, he takes us into a singular pigmented universe and gives us the opportunity to see unique creations. He says it himself: "It is exactly there that I situate myself between the reality of photography and the dream world of painting with the sensuality of the material.

Retour De Voyage loves this atypical painting, which borders on the absurd and yet is so "altotypical"!