Five master paintings from the Louvre’s collection joined the “Kings as Collectors” exhibition at the High. These paintings represent seminal moments in art history ranging from the origination of Louis XIV style to the light-hearted romanticism of the Rococo period.
The five new paintings are Charles Le Brun’s “The Holy Family,” ca. 1655–1656; Nicolas Lancret’s “The Hunting Party,” ca. 1740; Jean-Siméon Chardin’s “Child with a Top,” 1738; François Boucher’s “Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour,” ca. 1750; and Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s “The Bathers,” ca. 1736–1764. The “Kings as Collectors” and “Decorative Arts of the Kings” exhibitions will be on view at the High through September 2, 2007.
“Visitors to ‘Louvre Atlanta’ this summer will see five of the Louvre’s most stunning and well-known paintings,” said Michael E. Shapiro, the High’s Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr. Director. “These new additions to the exhibitions are among the crown jewels of the Louvre’s collection, and it is a privilege have them in Atlanta for the next three months, celebrating the success of the High’s first year in partnership with the Louvre.”
• First Painter to the King, Charles Le Brun (1619–1690) was one of the most influential artists during the reign of Louis XIV. Under the direction of Le Brun, the French Academy of Painting and Sculpture established paintings of historical, mythological or biblical subject matter as the highest forms of art because of their ability to elevate the mind. In “The Holy Family” ca. 1655–1656, Le Brun represents the Holy Family’s last meal before their flight into Egypt.
• The work of Nicolas Lancret (1690–1743), an artist of light comedy, reflects the tastes and manners of French society in 17th- and 18th-century France. Deeply influenced by Watteau, “The Hunting Party,” ca. 1740, is a fête champêtre—a painting of elegant people idly engaged in the pursuit of pleasure amidst an idealized landscape—a favorite subject among wealthy Parisians during the reign of Louis XV.
• “Child with a Top (Portrait of Auguste Gabriel Godefroy, 1728–1813),” 1738, exhibits Jean-Siméon Chardin’s (1699– 1179) anti-Rococo style, favoring simple still lifes and unsentimental domestic interiors. In “Child with a Top” Chardin portrays children’s innocence in an unsentimental manner, imbuing the painting with a moral message about the transition from childhood to adulthood.
• François Boucher’s (1703–1770) name is synonymous with French Rococo style. Known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes and decorative allegories, François Boucher became the first court painter to Louis XV and director of the Royal Academy in 1765. Boucher was also a favorite of the king’s mistress, Madame de Pompadour, the subject of his “Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour,” ca. 1750.
• Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732 –1806) was one of the most prolific artists in the last decades of the ancient régime. His late-Rococo manner was distinguished by facility, exuberance and hedonism. A winner of the Prix de Rome, he was influenced by landscapes in Italy—gardens, fountains, grottos, temples and terraces—which can be seen in “The Bathers,” ca. 1736–1764. -- www.high.org
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