Curatorial Narrative Flight Into Egypt by Eugne Girardet presents itself as an exemplar of Realist painting in the mid-nineteenth century. Girardet’s technique was characterized by a fine brushwork that imbued his subjects with a sense of quiet contemplation, yet he also showed a willingness to engage with the modern and the contemporary. The subject matter itself – a depiction of the Holy Family fleeing into Egypt as refugees – positions the work within the broader historical context of Realist painting’s concern with the everyday experiences of ordinary people.The palette of earthy tones and muted greens and blues serves to create an atmosphere that is both serene and melancholic, drawing the viewer’s attention to the spatial rhythm established by the figures moving through a landscape that stretches out into the distance. Enlarged to 62×44 inches, the painting’s chromatic structure behaves in a manner that creates a sense of dept