Battle of Bouvines
Mathieu admitted a deep passion for history, especially for the Middle-Ages. Therefore, many works of the painter were named after historical battles and events : "La Bataille de Bouvines" (The Battle of Bouvines), "La Victoire de Denain" (The Victory of Denain) and "Les Capétiens partout" (Capetians everywhere). The question of the relation between the canvas names and the act of painting has often been debated, as some critics saw in his painting the renewal of historical painting.