Claude Lorrain, Pastoral Landscape
Claude, given the nickname Lorrain after his birthplace in France, worked his entire career in Rome and is known for a landscape style that combines classical ideals of beauty and harmony with a sensitive and acute observation of nature. He was particularly fascinated by the effects of light and he spent countless hours in nature, studying the morning sky, sunset and sunrise.In his painting, the long shadows and the pink tone of the clouds in this painting indicate that the time of day is evening or early morning.
Philippe de Champaigne, Christ Healing the Blind
Philippe de Champaigne, a prominent 17th-century French painter, is renowned for his significant contributions to religious and portrait painting. Born in Brussels in 1602, he moved to Paris in 1621, where he gained acclaim. Influenced by the Baroque style, his works are distinguished by meticulous detail and spiritual depth, reflecting his devout Catholic faith. Champaigne's portraits exhibit introspection and clarity, marked by restrained emotion and a focus on inner contemplation. His mastery of light and shadow adds realism and psychological depth to his subjects, solidifying his impact on French art during the Baroque era and beyond. Champaigne also played a key role in the founding of the Académie de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1648, further cementing his influence on the development of French art.
Claude-Joseph Vernet, A Seaport at Sunset
Claude-Joseph Vernet, born in 1714 in Avignon, France, was renowned for his marine and landscape paintings. Influenced by the classical tradition and Enlightenment ideals, Vernet's works depict dramatic seascapes and coastal scenes with meticulous detail and vivid realism. Drawing on the tradition of ideal landscape painting established by artists like Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin, Vernet also introduced an empirical approach to nature, resulting in vivid and convincing impressions. His ability to show contrasting aspects of nature in pairs or sets of paintings enhanced this effect. Vernet first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1746, the year he joined the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. Despite facing the French Revolution, Vernet remained one of France's most acclaimed artists, receiving commissions from across Europe. His paintings capture the Sublime, skillfully showing the ephemeral quality of human endeavor in contrast to nature's power.
Nicolas de Largillière, Portrait of Barthélemy-Jean-Claude Pupil
Nicolas de Largillière, born in Paris in 1656, was a premier painter of portraits, history, and still life. He moved to Antwerp in 1659, where he later apprenticed to Antoni Goubau. Admitted to the Guild of Saint Luke at seventeen, he worked in London under Antonio Verrio, catching the attention of King Charles II. Settling in Paris in 1679, Largillière specialized in baroque portraiture and joined the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. His Ports of France series and dramatic use of color and light marked his style. Known for his elegant and realistic portraits, Largillière painted notable figures, including René Frémin and Crown Prince Friedrich Augustus of Saxony, and left a significant legacy in French art, influencing subsequent generations of portrait painters.
Portrait of Marguerite de Sève, Wife of Barthélemy-Jean-Claude Pupil
Nicolas de Largilliérre, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a portraitist, was sought out early in the eighteenth century by important new clients from the provinces of France.One of them was Barthélemy-Jean-Claude Pupil, who received two judicial appointments in Lyon after his marriage in 1722 to Marguerite de Sève, the subject of the portrait. His wife wears a costume with an embossed and jeweled bodice that looks made of metal but may be silk mounted on molded buckram, a stiff material.The music she touches with her left hand and the words underneath it are for a drinking song of the kind that sophisticated women sang at an evening gathering at home.
François Boucher, Lovers in a Park
François Boucher, born in Paris in 1703, is renowned for his mastery of the Rococo style. Boucher's paintings are characterized by their charming themes, delicate brushwork, and vibrant colors. He often depicted mythological scenes and pastoral landscapes with a sense of elegance and sensuality. Boucher's artistic legacy extends outside of painting and includes his significant influence on the decorative arts and his role in shaping the visual culture of eighteenth-century France. Boucher became a member of the Royal Academy in 1734 and then became the principal producer of designs for the royal porcelain factories, as well as director of the Gobelins tapestry factory. As a favorite of King Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour, Boucher's work epitomized the frivolity and grace of Rococo, leaving an indelible mark on French art.
About Rococo
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Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Blindman's Buff
Jean-Honoré Fragonard trained in the studio of François Boucher, who painted Lovers in the Park, hanging nearby. Although he was accepted into the French Academy, he declined to pursue a public career as a history painter. Preferring, instead, to work for private clients, Fragonard developed a style that lauded the charm and beauty of the private moments of the French aristocracy.In Blindman's Buff, well-dressed men, women, and children play the familiar game in the kind of picturesque overgrown garden that was popular with the aristocracy. This and similar lighthearted amusements were among Fragonard's favorite subjects, and he may have viewed the games as symbolizing the game of courtship.
Jacques-Louis David, Portrait of Cooper Penrose
Jacques-Louis David, born in Paris in 1748, was a leading French Neoclassical painter renowned for his powerful compositions and moral themes. Influenced by classical antiquity and the ideals of the French Revolution, his works, such as The Death of Socrates and The Oath of the Horatii, depict historical and mythological subjects with dramatic intensity and clarity. Orphaned at nine after his father died in a duel, David received a classical education and studied under Joseph-Marie Vien. Despite initial struggles, he won the Prix de Rome in 1774, and embraced classicism during his time in Italy. David's paintings celebrated civic virtue and patriotism, making him a prominent figure during the Revolution. Later, he aligned with Emperor Napoleon, producing iconic works with a nationalist undertone.
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, View of Volterra
Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, born in Paris in 1796, was the son of a cloth merchant and a milliner. Having gained financial independence at 26, he devoted himself to painting. Corot first studied under Achille Etna Michallon and then Jean-Victor Bertin. From 1825 to 1828, he traveled to Italy, submitting works such as View at Narni and Roman Campagna for the Paris Salon in 1827. He made subsequent trips to Italy and extensively traveled in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and England, painting in the open air and creating numerous drawings. By the 1850s, Corot's style had become softer and he had established a strong reputation. His late works often featured mythological and allegorical figures, using a limited color palette. Corot’s influence on later landscape painting, including the Impressionists, was profound, especially in his portrayal of light.
