to Eighteenth Century from the Fourteenth 17 European Art Raoux Room ...... Early Eighteenth-century French Painting

English translation by Susan Schneider and Northern European Influences with asentimental and courtlyelegance most probably styledonWatteau. Royal Academy ;he tookupthe equestrian themes of Wouwerman (1619-1668)(Room5) Carel vanFalens (1683-1733)*wasof Flemishorigin butliving inParis and amember of the Santerre (1651-1717)and Alexis Grimou (1680-1733): themes and styleinto vogue. These included Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), Jean-Baptiste of the home :the as aportrait indisguiseextolling ayoung girl’spurityand virginity oralady’s role askeeper fashion for vestalvirgins (Vesta being apriestess and the goddess of hearth and home), usually in workshops atthe time asmodels wouldonlyposefor faces. of various pieces thathe wasto reutilize freely indifferent portraits, acommon technique a trompe-l’oeil effectinthe manner of . His for the face of the famous philosopher was fond of rustleddraperies and glistening textures forming ap collection). The CatalanRigaud, apupilof Antoine Ranc inMontpellier aswasJean Raoux, Rembrandt (areplica of the one painted for hisdaughter onher marriage and kept inaprivate in Antwerp, Largillière painted his Hyacinthe Rigaud and Nicolas de Largillière dominated the artof portraiture. AParisian trained He worked asaportrait painter toLouis trained withhisfather inMontpellier, then withHyacinthe Rigaud (1659-1743). both instyleand subject. novelty lying inthe powerfulvoguefor Northern European –Flemishand Dutch–influences, of colour. French artistic production came tofeature adiversityof talents and models, with Poussin –were offset byagrowing interest inthe artof Rubens, the Venetians and their use From before 1700,academic principles –the primacy of drawing and classic artistssuch as reception piece onasubjectfrom Ovid’s portraitist, particularly inthe worldof theatre. Meanwhile, his in the Northern European manner (fig.1) and ahighly esteemed to in1714,he established himself asapainter of genre scenes already seenand admired the Dutchartists. Following hisreturn while itsfine workmanship and backlighting reveal thatRaouxhad Judgement of Solomon staying inRome, Florence, Padua and Venice, where he received several commissions. His (1677-1734) went toParis totrain under BonBoullogne (1649-1717).He spent time inItaly, ruffled draperies are marks of Rigaud’s teaching. – recall the workof Dutchartists. The idealized oval-shapedface, the long fingers and the eyefor detail and subtlechiaroscuro –such asPomona’s backlitface before the parasol Ovid’s piece –perhapsaportrait indisguise–painted inFrance around 1716-20and inspired by Vertumnus andPomona from Virgil’s depth of the shimmering coloursadd further magic tothisscene in itscomposition and extravagant costumes :the richness and of Painting and Sculpture. Pygmalion andGalatea Other artistswere toworkinthisFrench/Northern European idiom, bringing Northern An apprentice inMontpellier under Antoine Ranc, the father of Jean Ranc, Jean Raoux Dating toaround 1730,his Metamorphoses Jean Ranc(1674-1735)etRaoux(1677-1734) Aeneid Vestal VirgintendingtheSacredFire . At the same time, Raouxalsostarteda Portrait Painters RigaudandLargillière . The finesse of itsworkmanship, the glistening sheen of the draperies, * –allowedhimtoenter the RoyalAcademy * (1710)therefore hasaquiteVenetian styleof tonality and caprice, , one of the finest eighteenth-century canvasses, isamythological * An asteriskindicates thatthe workmentionned isdisplayedinthe room Dido andAeneas Self-portrait Fontenelle XIV ... Metamorphoses and King Philip * isverytheatrical * around 1726inbrown tones reminiscent of *. The device of the bull’seyewindow adds *. Study of hands Young ManinArmour V – rofound and elegant setting of Spain.Hismasterwork, * isanaide-mémoire *. Conversely, All rights reserved Avignon, Musée Calvet Silence fig.1- Jean Raoux