Public Exhibitions of Drawing in Paris, France (1860-1890)
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PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS OF DRAWING IN PARIS, FRANCE (1860-1890): A STUDY IN DATA-DRIVEN ART HISTORY by Debra J. DeWitte APPROVED BY SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: _______________________________________________ Dr. Richard Brettell, Chair _______________________________________________ Dr. Maximilian Schich _______________________________________________ Dr. Mark Rosen _______________________________________________ Dr. Michael L. Wilson Copyright 2017 Debra J. DeWitte All Rights Reserved Jaclyn Jean Gibney, May you work hard and dream big. PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS OF DRAWING IN PARIS, FRANCE (1860-1890): A STUDY IN DATA-DRIVEN ART HISTORY by DEBRA J. DEWITTE, BA, MA DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of The University of Texas at Dallas in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HUMANITIES - AESTHETIC STUDIES THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS May 2017 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish first and foremost to thank my advisor Dr. Richard Brettell for his incredible support and generosity during this journey. I was also fortunate to have the ideal group of scholars on my committee. Dr. Maximilian Schich introduced me to the world of data with enthusiasm and genius. Dr. Mark Rosen has the gift of giving both scholarly and practical advice. Dr. Michael Wilson has been a wise guide throughout my graduate career, and fuels a desire to improve and excel. I would also like to thank the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History for creating an envirnonment for intellectual exchange, from which I have benefited greatly. The Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History also funded travel to study sources critical for my topic. Numerous scholars, librarians and archivists were invaluable, but I would especially like to thank Laure Jacquin de Margerie, Isabelle Gaëtan, Marie Leimbacher, Béatrice Joyeux-Prunel, Axelle Huet, and Jon Whiteley. This project simply would not have been possible without the expertise and spirit of generosity provided by these scholars. I would also like to thank my family and friends, whose support has been unwavering. October 2016 v PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS OF DRAWING IN PARIS, FRANCE (1860-1890): A STUDY IN DATA-DRIVEN ART HISTORY Publication No. ___________________ Debra J. DeWitte, PhD The University of Texas at Dallas, 2017 ABSTRACT Supervising Professor: Dr. Richard Brettell This project delves into the study of works on paper (pastels, watercolors, charcoals, and drawings) that were exhibited in Paris between 1860 and 1890. The exhibition of drawings during these years has not previously been analyzed from a macro level largely because the resources were not available to do so. Instead, art historians have more often focused on individuals or small groups of artists, and from these findings, have made inferences about the art world as a whole. However, of the thousands of artists who exhibited drawings in the Salon during this period, art historians would be challenged today to recognize even 5% of their names. Through a revelation of the exhibitors of drawings during these years, there is considerable evidence of successful nineteenth-century artists that are not known or studied today. Thus, this project also aims to demonstrate the efficacy of data analysis in the field of art history. Case studies include state-funded exhibitions, such as the World’s Fairs held in Paris and the Paris Salon, and exhibitions organized by dealers and artist societies, such as Société des aquarellistes français, Société des pastellistes français, and the Impressionists. By comparing private vi exhibitions orchestrated by dealers and artist societies with state-sponsored exhibition strategies, the importance of works on paper as objects to promote artists is better established. This dissertation also continues the conversation among scholars about the degree to which groups like the Impressionists were dissimilar from traditional artists presented at the Salon. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................v ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………1 CHAPTER 2: EXHIBITIONS OF DRAWINGS ORGANIZED BY THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT: THE LOUVRE AND THE EXPOSITIONS UNIVERSELLE……………….7 Drawings in the Louvre…………………………………………………………………...8 L’École des Beaux-Arts and Exhibitions of Drawings…………………………………..16 Expositions Universelle………………………………………………………………….26 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….33 CHAPTER 3: THE EXHIBITION OF DRAWINGS WITHIN THE OFFICIAL SALON IN THE 1860’s AND 1870’s…………………………………………………………………….35 Placement of Drawings in the Salon……………………………………………………..35 The Functioning of the Salon…………………………………………………………….39 Sum of Drawings in the Salon……………………………………………………….…...41 Artist, Drawings and other Media in the Salon……………………………………….….48 Copies………………………………………………………………………………….…51 Award Winners and the Jury………………………………………………………….….54 Salon Drawings Purchased by the State……………………………………………….…59 Gender in the Drawing Section of the Salon………………………………………....…..67 Subject Matter of Drawings……………………………………………………………...69 Media of Drawings in the Salon…………………………………………………….....…71 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….….73 CHAPTER 4: ALTERNATIVES TO THE SALON: ARTIST SOCIETIES, DEALERS, AND THE PROMOTION OF DRAWINGS……………………………………………….…....76 The Role of Dealers in the Rising Interest of Drawings………………………….……...80 Société des aquarellistes français (Society of French Watercolorists)…………….....…..87 Société des pastellistes français (Society of French Pastel Artists)……………………...96 Women Artists and L’Union des Femmes peintres et sculpteurs………………………..98 Blanc et Noir……………………………………………………………………………101 viii Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………...109 CHAPTER 5: DRAWINGS EXHIBITED BY THE IMPRESSIONISTS (1874-1886)……….111 Bird’s Eye View of Drawings Exhibited by Impressionists……………………………112 1st Impressionist Exhibition (1874)……………………………………………………..116 2nd Impressionist Exhibition (1876)………………………………………………….....119 3rd Impressionist Exhibition (1877)………………………………………….………….121 4th Impressionist Exhibition (1879)……………………………………………………..123 5th Impressionist Exhibition (1880)………………………………………………….….127 6th Impressionist Exhibition (1881)………………………………………………….….129 7th Impressionist Exhibition (1882)……………………………………………….…….131 8th Impressionist Exhibition (1886)……………………………………………………..132 Media and Presentation……………………………………………………………........134 Conclusion/Comparison with the Salon…………………………………………...........135 CHAPTER 6: DRAWINGS BY DEGAS EXHIBITED DURING HIS LIFETIME: THE CURATORIAL PREFERENCES OF THE ARTIST…………………………………….139 Degas’s use of Mixed-Media…………………………………………………………...140 Degas as Curator: The Authority of the Artist versus the Restraints of Commerce……144 Exhibitions of Degas Drawings………………………………………………………...150 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………...169 CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................171 APPENDIX A: METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................177 APPENDIX B: DESSINS DE L’ ÉCOLES MODERN ................................................................184 APPENDIX C: DRAWINGS PURCHASED BY THE STATE FROM THE SALON (1863-1881)……………………………………………………………………………………..203 APPENDIX D: DRAWINGS AT THE IMPRESSIONIST EXHIBITIONS…………………..232 APPENDIX E: DRAWINGS BY EDGAR DEGAS EXHIBITED THROUGH 1917……..….253 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………297 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH…………………………………………………………………...305 CURRICULUM VITAE ix LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1. Artists who exhibited nine or more drawings in 1879’s dessins de maitres anciens………………………………………………………………………………..19 Table 2.2. Deceased Artists (Part 1) from 1884 exhibition dessins de the Écoles modern, who were represented by nine or more drawings ...............................................21 Table 2.3. Medium used in works by Old Masters of 1884 exhibition dessins de the Écoles modern .......................................................................................................22 Table 2.4. Artists in Second Part (Living Artists) of 1884’s dessins de the Écoles modern, who were represented by more than 10 drawings………………23 Table 2.5. Medium used in works by Living Artists in 1884 exhibition dessins de the Écoles modern……………………………………………………………………23 Table 2.6. Comparison use of media for Living Artists and Old Masters at 1884’s dessins de the Écoles modern exhibition…………………………. ……………………24 Table 2.7. Drawings Exhibited by French Artists at the Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1867……………………………………………………………………………………….28 Table 2.8. Drawings Exhibited at Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1867, arranged by Media within Country………………………………………………………………29 Table 2.9. Drawings at Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1878, arranged by media within country……………………………………………………………………………………31 Table 2.10. Drawings Exhibited at Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1889, arranged by media within country…………………………………………………………………………32 Table 3.1. Table comparing number of paintings and drawings exhibited in the Salons (1863-1881), and percentage difference between the two……………………………….42