#artist is francois boucher-

[diioonysus]

art aesthetics: coquette

[the-evil-clergyman]

Venus Discovering the Dead Adonis by François Boucher (18th Century)

[marienoellepecarrere]

IncubuS, Huile sur Toile,

[voyage-of-venus]

Jupiter, in the Guise of Diana, and Callisto

François Boucher, French

1763

Oil on canvas

Oval, 25 1/2 x 21 5/8 in. (64.8 x 54.9 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

[classic-art-favourites]

The Dovecote by Francois Boucher, 1758.

[life-imitates-art-far-more]

François Boucher (1703-1770) "Winter" (1755), "Spring" (1755) "Summer" (1755), "Autumn" (1755) Oil on canvas Rococo

[matyas-ss]

Madame de Pompadour, François Boucher (1758). National Gallery of Scotland

[zoeandsubaloveart]

Francois Boucher (French, 1703-1770)

[classicalcanvas]

Title: The Chinese Garden

Artist: Francois Boucher

Date: 1742

Style: Rococo

Genre: Genre Painting

[diioonysus]

dresses in art

[the-evil-clergyman]

The Triumph of Venus by Francois Boucher (1740)

[daily-thoughts0]

What is art?

During the whole semester, we tried to figure out what art is. Is it only for fun, what secrets are hidden under the paintings, colours, smiles of beautiful women, and so on. 

"The Three Graces" Francois Boucher (1703-1770). Rococo period

Well, thanks to our discussions, I came to some thoughts. First, art is a universal language. And that is true. Different people, generations understand it. Art can be appreciated by absolutely dissimilar people with their own backgrounds and walks of life. It is wonderful, isn't it? It is a universal language, I would say. 

There is no doubt that art is a form of expression that has been present in human civilization for thousands of years. It encompasses a wide range of mediums, such as literature, music, sculpture, architecture, etc.

Italian Baroque

Of course, it plays a significant role in shaping forms, reflecting social values, mirroring life beauty, and proving a means for individuals to communicate their ideas, messages, thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

And, as we have learned, there are two fundamental goals for any art. They are to provoke thoughts and evoke emotions. 

 "The Last Day of Pompeii", Karl Pavlovich Bryullov

A very interesting thing for me is that absolutely all artists use their imaginations and creativity to convey their worldview, their messages, and their ideas because it may be difficult to express all of it through words alone. Sometimes we have a limited amount of words to describe something because human civilization has not created anything yet. Something beautiful, something that can stir the soul. 

So, art is power. It has the ability to change conventional thinking, think outside the box, push boundaries, break stereotypes, and embrace new perspectives. 

Well, art is a really  powerful and multifaceted part of our lives.

[girlwiththearthistoryaccount]

The Toilet of Venus

Title: The Toilet of Venus

Artist: Francois Boucher

Date: 1751

Movement: French Rococo

Medium: Oil on canvas

Genre: Mythology painting

Again we return to France, and again we return to Boucher.

The word Toilet means Dressing room before plumbing was a regular thing. SO this meant to be Venus’ dressing room in case there was any confusion.

Here, we see Venus with her usual symbols of winged babies and doves, but we also see a focus on pearls. More likely than note, because Venus came from the sea, she was likely associated with the jewel that comes from the sea as well.

[classic-art-favourites]

The Toilet by Francois Boucher, 1742.

[pppaperwork]

Wealth & Status in Baroque and Rococo

Having it all must be tough :(

There are never ending decisions to make, about silly things like ideal garden shrubbery height, drapery thread count, ornate frames, silver, or gold? To show it all off or to cover it up? To spend or to save? To invest in the Church or one's own extravagant lifestyle? Virtuous piety or worldly comforts?

To nurture Faith or Ego?

Ceiling painted by Johann Baptist Enderle, 1772

Jean-François de Troy, The Declaration of Love (1731)

All these competing ideals are exactly what set the Baroque and Rococo periods apart.

Let's start at the beginning - well, sort of - with Baroque.

Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith and Holofernes 1612-13

Throughout Europe Catholicism sees a decline in followers going into the 17th century, due to popularization of Marin Luther's Protestant reformation.

Protestantism came as a response to shady behavior within the Catholic Church, which had previously held unchallenged cultural and political power. This 'divine' power within the Church attracted wealth, and wealthy people looking to buy in.

I cannot stress enough how motivated by money the Catholic Church was at this time. Many Popes like Leo X actually sold physical certificates called 'indulgences' which were essentially Fast-passes through Purgatory, should its keeper die before confessing their sins in penance.

Through generous donations to the Catholic Church, one could actually buy themselves a ticket into heaven, circa ~ 1550.

This wasn't great optics to German monk, and founder of Protestantism, Martin Luther. And many people agreed, causing a novel decline in Catholicism. The Roman Catholic Church desperately needed a rebrand.

Caravaggio [?] , The Crowning with Thorns, 1603

Baroque paints Catholicism in a more virtuous, penitent, moody, and modest light. Visual elements like high contrast light and shadows, mostly religious imagery, "normal" looking figures that no longer strive to be the Renaissance's perfect man, nor Rococo's dashing picture of youth and indulgence, they look like us.

It's hard to say if the Baroque art movement really saved the Church from losing followers, but it did spark a global popularization of Baroque and is responsible for subsequent movements in fine art and architecture across the world!

ie. the global Baroque, Rococo, heavy influences on the Dutch golden age of painting.

Church of St. Peter of Andahuaylillas - Peru, 1620s

Rembrant, Lady and Gentleman in Black and Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, 1633, Dutch [missing from ISG Museum since 1990]

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Progress of Love: Love Letters, 1771-72, French

In the century to follow, Baroque artwork would become a status symbol in itself, along with its pious and devout lifestyle.

French aristocrats and artists like Fragonard coming into the 18th century rejected this ideology, along with King Louis XIV's frugal, somewhat Baroque style of ruling. Rococo takes clear visual elements of Baroque and applies them to a generally more frivolous, lighthearted, romantic subject matter, with clear emphasis on material wealth.

Wealth was shown and represented in excess, lifestyles full of lush scenery and architecture like Versailles. Material goods and conspicuous consumption ruled the aristocratic nobility (art buying community) at the time.

In the Rococo period once again, in Renaissance fashion, art patrons are shifting toward a search for aesthetic perfection, beauty, and divinity in humans and on earth.

A harsh contrast from a hundred years prior, in the midsts of Baroque's influence of frugality, devotion to faith, and denouncement of worldly comforts. This shift could have many catalysts, including the continuing spread of Protestant religions, or the rebellion against a previously strict, sometimes oppressive, religious church-state under the reign of Louis XIV.

Tapestry L'Aurore et Céphale, from Les Tentures de François Boucher Series, Painted by Francois Boucher, 1776-77, French

The Studio, Honoré Daumier, 1870, French

Ultimately, today the Rococo period is iconic in reference to the French Revolution.

Similarly to Rococo's start, as a rebellion against a meek and mild social norm, Rococo's end is tied to the death of the French noble class; at the hands of French citizens who were facing the consequences (famine, poverty, poor living conditions) of the French Nobility's over-indulgent, expensive lifestyle.

I can only assume that after the torches, pitchforks, and guillotining of the French Monarchy, Rococo's frills and embellishments probably seemed pretty... cringe.

Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour by Maurice Quentin de La Tour, 1755 (Rococo)

The Execution of Louis XVI by H. de la Charlerie, 1793 (Neo-classical)

The Death of Marat, Jacques-Louis David, 1793 (Neo-classical)

[lahilden]

Bowes Museum is located in the town of Barnard Castle, England. Designed in the French chateau style by French architects Jules Pellechet and John Edwards Watson of Newcastle, the museum was built as a public art gallery by founder John Bowes and his wife Josephine Chevalier, Countess of Montalbo. Unfortunately, they passed before their museum was opened in 1892. The museum houses paintings from many famous artists such as Francisco Goya and Francois Boucher. There are rooms of decorative arts with ceramics, textiles, tapestries, clocks, and costumes, as well as artifacts from the area. The diverse museum collections include Napoleon relics, picture galleries, old China, and jewels. The most well-known attraction at the Bowes Museum is the automaton Silver Swan from the 18th century. The museum underwent improvements in 2005 with updates to the three art galleries and visitor facilities.