Maurice Bompard was born in 1857 Rodez, France. He was mostly known as a French orientalist painter that represented meticulously executed scenes from the Eastern daily life, but as well his particularly magnificent views of Venice. At a very young age he went to Marseille to study at the École des Beaux-Arts, later he went to Paris where he studied fine arts under Gustave Boulanger and Jules Lefèvre tuition. In 1882, he won a scholarship allowing him to visit Germany, Italy, Tunisia and Spain. It can be noticed the influence of his journey to Spain with some reminiscences of architectural decorations in the piece ‘Harem in Granada’  based in an imaginary scene, and of Tunisia with the piece ‘Tunisia Butcher’.

For Bompard, everything changed in an exhibition in 1890 with his first success ‘Les Bouchers de Chetma’, presented at the Salon des artistes as an evocation of a little oasis near Biskra, which he discovered on the occasion of his wedding trip in Algeria, in 1889. From 1889 to 1893, Bompard stayed every winter at Biskra, taking advantage as many other artists did of the privileged scenes of having the streets of Tilatou as his workshop. The fantasized Eastern scenarios and the support of his academic painting studies was followed by the stays in the Sahara: turning himself into a traveling painter. By painting in this scenarios it was observed a clarification of his chromatic palette to white, ochre and orange, under a pristine blue sky; being possible for the painter the use of a much more smooth material and a moderate sense of observation. Some of his works were painted on wood in a small format, dematerializing even more the light on these pieces, often capturing Biskris children wearing their red caps.

Because of the number of copies that he made for clients during his orientalist and colonial works, occasionally it's hard to set timelines for the completion of certain works. Several works by the artist have been sold at auction, including: ‘Tangier’ sold at Heritage Auctions, Dallas in 2014, ‘Courtyard Scene’ and ‘Venice Canal Scene’ sold at John Moran Auctioneers Inc., Altadena in 2014, ‘Lady Fishing’ sold at Grogan & Company, Dedham in 2014, ‘Still Life’ sold at Michaan's Auctions, Alameda in 2014, ‘La Rivière d'El-Kantara’ and ‘Une Rue de l'oasis de Chetma’ sold at Artcurial - Briest, Poulain, F. Tajan, Paris in 2013, ‘Vista Junto Al Canal’ sold at Morton Casa de Subastas, Lomas de Chapultepec in 2013.

Among his finest pieces of artwork is the oil on canvas of this collection ’Grand Canal at Sunset’ and some of his most important works are exhibited at the Musée Denys-Puech of Rodez, Museum d'Orsay and the Museum of Fine Arts of Marseille. In 1893, Bompard participated in the creation of the Society of Orientalist Painters, but it is also that year when, by feeling threatened during a trip to El Kantara, he decided not to return to Algeria. So he became a painter of Venice were he remain must of his life, which assure him a much greater fame. Bompard died in 1936 in Paris.