This work is a preparatory study for Giron’s large composition of a wrestling festival in the Hautes-Alpes, painted in 1905 and today hanging in the Grandhotel Giessbach on Lake Brienz. Aiming at showing the profound harmony between man and nature, the scene is part of the movement at the turn of the century which saw a return to nature and arcadian nostalgia characteristic of the painters of the Savièse School. The depiction of such Alpine subjects was intended to promote the image of an ideal Switzerland as well as fostering a strong national and patriotic feeling.

Known for his large landscape in the National Council Chamber of the Government House in Bern, Giron’s reputation is based mainly on his portraits of men and women, a genre in which he excelled. It is not surprising, therefore, that he accurately depicts the face of the young woman and the traditional costume she is wearing.