Dialogue by Mark:

Your fantasy island can be anything you want it to be. It's a creation of your imagination. You can fill your island with incredible trees growing in a park on the world's most perfect summer afternoon. That's exactly the scene that today's Master's Gallery artist Jean-Joseph-Xavier Bidauld chose to create when he painted "The Park at Mortefontaine" in 1806.

Bidauld was a French artist during the time of Napoleon, the French emperor who was at war with many of the other countries of Europe. Some artists of the time used their art to tell about the hardships of war. Other artists, like Bidauld, chose instead to create fantastic pictures of peace and beauty. A new style of art, called Romanticism, was invented. The main purpose of Romantic art was to cause strong feelings and emotions.

The Park in Bidauld's painting is far more beautiful than any real park. The trees are perfect. The sun is shining. The lawns are pure green and perfectly mowed. Beautiful swans swim on the calm water of the river. The happy people step to shore from their boat, probably for a picnic beneath the shady trees. Bidauld's fantasy landscape made people forget the troubles of their lives and the long-lasting war, and remember only the feelings of a perfect summer afternoon at the park.