Diploma Lecture Series 2012 Absolutism to enlightenment: European art and culture 1665-1765
THE QUIET RAPTURE OF JEAN-SIMEON CHARDIN 1699-1779
Barry Pearce
17/18 October 2012
Lecture summary: Still life painter Jean-Siméon Chardin, one of the most loved French artists of the 18th century, occupied a fascinating place amongst the paradigms of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris. In an age that admired the discursive function of history painting above all other genres, Chardin occupied the lowest echelon, purveying images of animals and fruit, fur, feathers and kitchen utensils. Slowly, with a persistent concentration on the principle of truth to nature, and a beautiful technique of painting that spoke its own language, he won respect, moving through a period of humble domestic interiors until returning during the last decades of his career to his beloved subject of still life seen at close range. However, eschewing the anecdotal flashiness of some of his more illustrious contemporaries, Chardin’s pure, mute, secretive vision continued to be at odds with those who felt it lacked the reach of their lofty ideals. In this way he unintentionally contributed to the undermining of an era that had succumbed too readily to the vanities of the Rococo. Eventually, after half a century of neglect following his death in 1779, he was hailed by later generations as a heroic predecessor to the modern era.
Suggested Readings: Robert Hughes ‘Jean-Siméon Chardin’, Time, New York 1979, in Nothing if not critical London, Harper Collins 1990; Philip Conisbee Chardin Oxford, Phaidon 1986; Pierre Rosenberg et al Chardin exhibition catalogue, London, Royal Academy of Arts 2000.
Slide list:
*1. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779 Self-portrait 1779, Louvre, Paris 2. Quotes 3. Francois Boucher 1703-70, An autumn pastoral 1749, Wallace Collection, London 4. Jean-Baptiste Greuze 1725-1805, The paralytic (fruits of a good education) 1763 5. Jean-Baptiste Greuze 1725-1805, The spoiled child 1765, Hermitage, St Petersburg 6. Jean-Honoré Fragonard 1732-1806, The swing 1766, Wallace Collection, London 7. Jean-Antoine Watteau 1684-1721, Plaisirs d’amour 1719, Gemaldegalerie, Dresden 8. Jean-Antoine Watteau 1684-1721, Embarkation to Cythera 1718 9. Jean-Antoine Watteau 1684-1721, Gersaint’s shop sign 1720 10. Jules de Goncourt 1830-70, Etching 1867 after Chardin’s sketch for The surgeon’s sign of c.1722 11. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779 A two-wheeled sedan c.1722, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm 12. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The billiard party c1723, Musée Carnavalet, Paris 13. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Study for the billiard party c.1723, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm 14. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Two rabbits with game bag and powder flask 1724-28 private collection 15. Detail 16. Detail * 17. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The ray 1725-26, Louvre, Paris 18. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The buffet 1728, Louvre, Paris 19. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Basket of white and red grapes, with silver goblet, bottles, peaches, plums and pear 1726-27, Louvre, Paris 20. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Silver goblet, peach, white and red grapes and apple 1726-28, private collection 21. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Carafe of wine, silver goblet, five cherries,
two peaches, apricot and green apple c.1728, St Louis Art Museum, USA 22. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Basket of plums, bottle, glass of water and cucumbers c.1728, Frick Collection, New York 23. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, A soup tureen with cat stalking partridge and hare 1728-30, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 24. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Musical instruments and parrot 1732 private collection 25. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The fast-day meal 1731 and The meat-day meal 1731, Louvre, Paris (pendants) 26. Detail 27. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Pitcher, two eggs, casserole, three herrings, copper pot, slice of fish and jug c.1733, private collection 28. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Woman sealing a letter 1733 Schloss Charlottenberg, Berlin 29. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The washerwoman 1733, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm 30. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The draughtsman c.1734, Kimbell Art Museum, Texas 31. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Tinned copper pot, pepper box, leek, three eggs and casserole 1734-35, Detroit Museum of Arts (with duplicate of above) Louvre, Paris 32. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Pestle and mortar, bowl, two onions, copper pot and knife 1734-35, Musée Cognacq-Jay, Paris *33. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The copper cistern c.1735, Louvre, Paris 34. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Soap bubbles or Young man blowing bubbles c.1734, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 35. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Portrait of the painter Joseph Aved 1734 Louvre, Paris *36. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The smoker’s case 1737, Louvre, Paris 37. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Girl with shuttlecock 1737, private collection 38. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The house of cards 1737, Mellon Collection 39. above two as pendants 40. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, A cellar boy cleaning a large 1736-38 Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow 41. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The scullery-maid 1738, Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow 42. above two as pendants 43. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The return from the market 1738, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa 44. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The governess 1739, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa 45. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The diligent mother 1740, Louvre, Paris 46. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Domestic pleasures 1745-46, National Museum, Stockholm 47. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Seville orange, silver goblet, apples, pear and two bottles c.1750, private collection 48. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Two rabbits, pheasant and Seville orange on stone ledge 1755, National Gallery of Art, Washington *49. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Bouquet of carnations, tuberoses and sweet peas in white porcelain vase with blue decoration c.1755, National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh 50. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Jar of apricots 1758, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto 51. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, The cut melon 1760, private collection 52. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Attributes of civilian music 1767 and Attributes of military music 1767, private collections (pendants) 53. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Three apples, two chestnuts, bowl and silver goblet c.1768 and Three pears, walnuts, glass of wine and knife c.1768 Louvre, Paris (pendants) *54. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Basket of peaches with walnuts, knife and glass of wine 1768, Louvre, Paris 55. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Self portrait 1771, Louvre, Paris 56. Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin 1699-1779, Portrait of Madame Chardin 1775 Louvre, Paris 57. Vincent van Gogh 1853-90, Still-life with earthenware pot, bottle and clogs 1885 Kroller-Muller Museum, Otterloo 58. Margaret Olley 1923-2011, Apples 1980, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 59. Arthur Boyd 1920-99,Large skate on grey background 1979, Bundanon Trust, Nowra 60. Ricky Swallow born 1974, Killing time 2003-4, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
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