Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805) performed a balancing act between two art movements of the time, the Enlightenment and the Rococo movements. New Enlightenment thinking had elevated rationality to the level of morality. The artists of the Enlightenment believed that art should always teach the viewer something. As a result, their art always shared a moral story. They adopted classicism and favored a clarity and a lack of color, believing that these were both closer to the rational. The Rococo movement defied Enlightenment thinking, rejecting baroque style and classicism. Rococo artists exchanged clean lines for soft, curving lines and muted colors for bright pastels. Their subject matter epitomized the power and privilege of the aristocracy, depicting frivolity and sex but lacking any true substance, according to Enlightenment thinkers. As an artist caught in the middle of this dichotomy, Greuze neither conformed to the strict guidelines of the Enlightenment movement nor did he portray the frothy, meaningless fun of the Rococo. Instead, Greuze bridged the gap between these two movements with a new type of moralistic genre painting. He was fascinated with portraying moral stories through everyday life and regular occurrences. Greuze’s often sexualized scenes and subject matter appealed to the general audience and aligned with the Rococo style; his compositions drew from classicism and the warnings behind seemingly harmless scenes reflected the rationality of the Enlightenment.
Broken Eggs, 1756
Jean-Baptiste Greuze
28 ¾ x 47 in
oil on canvas
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 20.155.8
In this scene, a young servant girl has dropped and broken a basket of eggs. The old woman to her right is scolding the man for causing this accident while the boy in the corner naively attempts to piece a broken egg back together, an impossible act. What seems like a comical scene becomes sobering as we recognize Greuze’s warning. The broken eggs symbolize the young girl’s virginity, now lost. The young girl’s loss is irreversible and she is now tainted in society’s eyes. While the subject matter is initially sexual, it becomes a cautionary tale. We can see evidence of the Enlightenment’s influence in the linear perspective of the scene and the muted color palette. In this way, “Broken Eggs” exemplifies Greuze’s particular genre of moral genre painting.
The Death of Socrates, 1787
Jacques-Louis David
51 x 77 ¼ in
oil on canvas
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 31.45
Jacques-Louis David was one of the most forthcoming neoclassicist artists of the time. Though one of many depicting Socrates' death, David’s painting of The Death of Socrates received more acclaim than any other attempt on account of its clarity of narrative. In the scene, Socrates is receiving a cup of poison, choosing to die rather than renounce his beliefs. His disciples around him are in different forms of mourning as Socrates points to the heavens and speaks of the immortality of the soul. This is a prime example of an Enlightenment painting, telling a historical story of morality and rationality. David has used dark, muted colors, similar to Greuze’s palette for Broken Eggs. The linearity of the scene and the rendering of the figures strongly harkens back to classical Greek sculpture and painting.
Pèlerinage à l’île de Cythère (Pilgrimage to the Island of Cythera), 1717
Jean-Antoine Watteau
51 x 76 in
oil on canvas
Musée du Louvre, INV 8525
In stark contrast to The Death of Socrates, this Rococo painting exemplifies the exact opposite of an Enlightenment painting. The subject matter is anything but serious. Watteau created this painting with the sole aim of pleasure and the depiction of love. Cythera is the island where Venus, the goddess of love was allegedly born. The group of aristocrats have coupled off with their lovers to enjoy a romantic trip. Small cherubs hover around the couples, encouraging their amorous interactions. Watteau uses soft brush strokes to render the landscape around the figures and a light color palette, accented by the bright pastels of the figures' clothing.
L’Accordée de village (The Marriage Contract), 1761
Jean-Baptiste Greuze
36 x 46 in
oil on canvas
Musée du Louvre, INV 5037
This painting emphasizes Greuze’s fascination with everyday life and the interactions of ordinary folk. It is a true genre painting in that it depicts a domestic occurrence. The scene depicts a young couple surrounded by the girl’s family. The young girl is the picture of innocence and naivety, ready for marriage. The composition is split into two sides of the room, the women on one side and the men on the other. On the left, the women of the family are tearfully clinging to the daughter, sad to see her leave. On the right, the father is proudly appraising the young man who has his bride on his arm and her dowry in his fist. The man sitting at the table can be identified as a notary, legalizing the marriage that is taking place. Greuze joins the theme of domestic life and love to legalistic, rational action in a painting that bridges the gap between Enlightenment ideals and Rococo beliefs.
Intervention of the Sabine Women, 1799
Jacques-Louis David
152 x 206 in
oil on canvas
Musée du Louvre, 3691
Although Intervention of the Sabine Women is primarily a historical painting, David had alternative reasons for creating it besides just telling a story. Created after the French Revolution, Intervention of the Sabine Women was meant to encourage reconciliation between the French people after so much bloodshed. In the narrative, Hersilia has placed herself and her children between her father, Tatius, and her husband, Romulus, in an attempt to end the violence and conflict. David wanted this story to be an example of the triumph of love over conflict, in light of the political climate he was experiencing. Despite these alternate themes, this painting still very much reflects the values of the Enlightenment. The rendering of the nude warriors and the subject matter of the birth of Rome align with classicism tendencies.
The Triumph of Venus, 1740
Francois Boucher
51 x 64 in
oil on canvas
National Museum, NM770
The Triumph of Venus is another painting that truly captures the essence of the Rococo style. Rendered in pastel colors, Boucher paints soft, sensual forms floating over the water. Fabric curves through the air, with baby cupids flying about the reclined women. The painting tells the story of Venus’ birth, emerging out of the sea foam as a fully formed goddess. Everything around her is a symbol of love. Boucher expresses the frothiness and sensuality of the Rococo style in the way his nude figures lie about the ocean, denying all rationality. This is not a painting that is meant to teach the viewer something, it is only meant to be enjoyed on a shallow level.
Le Geste Napolitain (The Neapolitan Gesture), 1757
Jean-Baptiste Greuze
28 ¾ x 37 ⅛ in
oil on canvas
Worcester Art Museum, 1964.113
While studying in Rome, Greuze created two sister paintings: Broken Eggs and Le Geste Napolitain. These both exhibit aspects of the classicism that Greuze had been surrounded by in Rome, though neither fall into true neoclassicism. Le Geste Napolitain depicts a woman shooing her lover away with a “neapolitan gesture” despite the dismay of the old woman trying to keep them together. Greuze uses the same muted tones that he used in Broken Eggs, but the message is very different. While still depicting the interaction of an amorous couple, Le Geste Napolitain depicts the wise decision of a young woman who has not yet fallen into sexual immorality. Instead of inviting this man in, the woman is dismissing him with a powerful wave of her hand. It is a triumphal scene in which Greuze is celebrating the morality of the woman and elevating her character.
No comments:
Post a Comment