French painter. He entered the École des Beaux-Arts in 1814 and studied with François-André Vincent, Pierre Lacour (1745-1814) and Jacques-Louis David. As well as historical subjects, he produced landscapes, marine views, allegories and religious paintings.
Gassies exhibited regularly at the Salon from 1810-1833 and was decorated with the Légion d’Honneur in 1822.
In Greek and Roman mythology, Castor and Pollux were twin brothers who appeared in several prominent myths. The twins were worshiped as gods who helped shipwrecked sailors and who brought favourable winds for those who made sacrifices to them. In one of the earliest myths about the twins, Castor and Pollux rescued their sister Helen after she had been kidnapped by Theseus, king of Attica.
The present painting was Gassies’s entry for the 1817 Prix de Rome competition for history painting.
This painting presents a view of Loch Lomond, Scotland, with figures on a path in the foreground, moments before a storm moves in. Loch Lomond is the largest lake in mainland Britain, and lies between the western lowlands of Central Scotland and the southern Highlands, and now resides within the Trossach National Park. The majesty of Loch Lomond is evident in Gassies’s interpretation of the iconic Scottish loch.
