Francois Boucher French. Francois Boucher - master of graceful style, paintings and biography. What did Francois Boucher write about?
Francois Boucher
One of the brightest representatives of the Rococo genre, a great French painter, decorator, and engraver.
François Boucher was born in Paris on September 29, 1703. His father, Nicolas Boucher, was an artist. He made his living by drawing engravings and embroidery patterns. From an early age, Francois helped his father in the workshop.
The father, having discovered his son's talent, assigned him as a student to Francois Lemoine. Boucher spent several months with Lemoine and later recalled him without much gratitude.
At the age of seventeen, Boucher entered the workshop of the engraver Jean-François Cars, which allowed him to earn his own living, as well as make useful contacts with high-ranking clients of his mentor.
In 1722, François Boucher was commissioned to illustrate a new edition of “The French History” by Honore Gabriel Daniel, and in 1723 the painter received an academic prize for the painting “Evil-merodach, son and heir of Nebuchadnezzar, freeing King Joachim from the shackles.” In 1725, Boucher presented several paintings to an exhibition of young authors and was invited by de Julienne to collaborate in the publication of works by Antoine Watteau.
In 1727, he went at his own expense to Rome, where he most diligently studied Albano and Pietro da Cortone, with whom he was often later compared, and copied a whole collection of heads from Trajan’s Column (published by Huten). Contemporary critics found that the paintings painted by Boucher, upon his return from Italy, were distinguished by their beauty and masculine strength; this may apply to paintings that have come down to us only in engravings published by Lavrenty Kars, since their originals have disappeared.
On November 24, 1731, B. was admitted to the academy, and in 1732 he wrote “Venus ordering weapons for Aeneas from Vulcan.”
Real recognition came to Boucher in 1737, when his paintings first appeared at the Salon. That same year, he began working for the Paris Opera House, creating sets and designing costumes for ballets, operas and dramatic performances. Somewhat earlier, in 1734, his collaboration with the Royal Tapestry Manufactory began. By the end of the decade, the master’s position had become so strengthened that he no longer had to worry about his future and the future of his children (Boucher had three of them - two daughters, who later married their father’s students, and a son, who, like his father, became an artist) .
Moreover, he began to allow himself to be very selective about orders. Noteworthy, for example, is the history of his relationship with Count Carl Gustav Tessin, the Swedish envoy in Paris. Their acquaintance in absentia took place around 1737, when the count, who was still in Sweden at that time, tried to order a painting from the artist through his Parisian agent. The agent was quick to answer: “I saw Monsieur Boucher... But when I told him the proposed price, he didn’t even want to talk to me. Currently he receives at least 300 livres for each of his paintings. This is a very busy young man, he works at the king's court and considers himself one of the most famous painters of our time. To tell the truth, in Paris he is truly considered one of the best.”
In the late 1740s, Madame Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV, became Boucher's patron. She took drawing lessons from the artist - at least that was the official version. And I paid a lot of money for these lessons. In the salons they said that between Madame Pompadour and the painter there were by no means only friendly relations. Thanks to the connections of the king's mistress, Boucher was able to receive very lucrative orders from the chief manager of the royal estates - including decorative paintings in Versailles.
Being a passionate fan of the theater, Madame Pompadour ordered the construction of a small theater for herself in Versailles. For him, Boucher (by that time already an experienced theater designer) created scenery and costumes. And soon the all-powerful madam found a new job for him - making sketches for sets and porcelain figurines produced at the factory in Sevres. It was in the second half of the 18th century that this small town near Paris became famous for its porcelain. One must think that Boucher's works played a significant role here.
After the revolution of 1789, the work of the artist, who “sullied” himself by his proximity to the royal court, was consigned to oblivion. Until the middle of the 19th century, François Boucher was remembered only with a contemptuous grin. But with the advent of the multi-volume work of the Goncourt brothers, “Art of the 18th Century,” the attitude towards the “first court painter” changed, and he again took his rightful place among the masters of painting of the 18th century.
Used ears and rococo
R okoko
Rocaille
A style of art (mainly interior design) that emerged in France in the first half of the 18th century (during the regency of Philippe d'Orléans) as a development of the Baroque style. Characteristics Rococo is characterized by sophistication, a large decorative load of interiors and compositions, a graceful ornamental rhythm, great attention to mythology, and personal comfort. The style received its highest development in architecture in Bavaria.
Francois Boucher was a typical representative of the light, festive, highly decorative art of Rococo. His painting was influenced by the work of Antoine Watteau, but the slight sadness evident in his paintings was alien to Boucher. We can say that Watteau gave Rococo the spirit, and Boucher the flesh. The master’s canvases are full of sensuality, but in the French style: when love can take the form of a beautiful game.
In the rich pictorial heritage of François Boucher, who worked in the sensual and refined Rococo style, one of the most popular paintings is “The Bathing of Diana.” The most beautiful Olympian goddess Diana appeared on the canvas of the French artist as a most charming enchantress, resting after her hunting fun on the bank of a stream. Boucher did not strive to strictly follow the Greek myths about the goddess in painting her image. He is not interested in mythology as such, he only uses it as a convenient excuse for depicting a naked female body, young and beautiful. His Diana is a gentle creature, accustomed to bliss and care, she lives only to give pleasure to greedy glances.
Paintings by Francois Boucher (works)
Oh resting girl
The painting is one of the most famous paintings in the collection of the Alte Pinakothek. This is one of the best works by Francois Boucher, who, as a court painter of Louis XV, depicted the life of that era, rich in sweets and pleasures.
The figure of a young girl is depicted in a very unusual and complex pose. The back of the sofa is uncomfortably high for this position of the body and the legs, so eagerly buried in the pillows, are not able to serve as support for the curved body. Boucher masterfully solved this problem and presented the movement and the few objects in the picture in a very entertaining way.
The sofa, curtain and wall are a soft olive color and differ only in material; an expensive dark pink silk bedspread that adds depth to the picture; a light blue silk ribbon woven into the girl’s hair and curling in her hands. Light blue and pink are the main colors of Rococo.
TOILET
1742, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid
Diana after swimming
(1742 Paris, Louvre)
T toilet of Venus
“The Toilet of Venus” was commissioned from the artist by his patron, Louis XV’s favorite Madame Pompadour, for her Chateau Bellevue near Paris. Madame Pompadour herself played the main role in the play of the same name at the Versailles theater.
On the canvas, Venus looks like a court lady of the 18th century: she has a “porcelain” face with a languid playful expression, the gestures of a charming mince, a characteristic hairstyle with naturally lying curls, and all of her, despite the splendor of her forms, looks like a doll. Cupids don't so much dress up this charming coquette as play with her hair and jewelry. Doves, sacred birds, hover near Venus, one of them clings to the goddess’s chest. The beauty's body is painted in rare and refined, but somewhat unnatural colors. Boucher did this deliberately: he did not seek to imitate nature, explaining this by the fact that nature is also imperfect.
Oh dalisca
1745. Louvre Museum, Paris.
This portrait of a half-naked young woman is also known as "Dark-haired Odalisque". A naked young woman lies on a bed framed by luxurious draperies. Openly challenging, she flirts with the viewer as she peers out from her boudoir. Boucher's painting is a kind of quintessence of the frivolous excesses of the mid-18th century, and he himself is one of the most consistent representatives of the Rococo style. In his youth, Boucher was strongly influenced by the work of Antoine Watteau, many of whose paintings he engraved, and in the 1740s he achieved the patronage of Madame de Pompadour.
Thanks to her influence, Boucher became the first painter of Louis XV. Boucher was one of the most fashionable decorative artists in Paris, and his charmingly flirtatious paintings of mythological subjects, depicting nymphs and goddesses, were intended to please the tastes of those representatives of high Parisian society whose elegant mansions he decorated. Ideally embodying the conventions of painting techniques of the Rococo century, Boucher seemed to want to say in his paintings that nature appears “excessively green and poorly lit.”
P beautiful cook
1735 Paris, Museum of Cognac-Geu
Modista
P an and Syringa
Syringa (Syrinx), in Greek mythology a naiad who revered Artemis and therefore strictly guarded her virginity. Pan, overwhelmed by the passion of love, pursued the nymph Syringa. Syringa fled from Pan, who was pursuing her, to the Ladon River, where she asked for help from her nymph sisters and the river deity. Therefore, she was transformed by the deity of the river Ladon into a reed when the god of fields and pastures Pan touched Syringa. Pan carved a shepherd's syringa pipe from reeds.
Syringa - among the ancient Greeks a musical instrument (pipe), considered to belong to the Arcadian god Pan and at the same time to the Greek shepherds. Syringa was done as follows. They took 7 (sometimes 8 and 9) hollow reed stems and attached them to one another using wax, and the length of each tube was made different so that they could have a full range. There was also a Syringa pipe made from a single stem: in this case, it was played in the same way as modern flutes are played, namely through the side holes. Syringa was the ancestor of the modern organ.
Madame de Pompadour
(1756. Alte Pinakothek, Munich)
Francois Boucher was never a master of portrait painting. Of the nearly thousand portrait paintings he painted, there are barely a dozen and a half.
“Portrait of Madame de Pompadour” from the Alte Pinakothek in Munich is one of the most famous. With a book in her hands, she reclines on the couch in her boudoir, and there is no doubt that the details of her toilet, from the type of lace to the pearls on her wrist, and the interior details are the most exquisite and fashionable that could have existed at that historical moment . And it was Madame de Pompadour who brought into fashion such high-heeled shoes without a backdrop, as in the picture. By the way, she, having encountered a suffocating aromatic composition of sweat, urine and dust at Versailles, introduced the custom of washing frequently - before that, ladies preferred to drown out body odor with the piercing aroma of perfume. And Boucher manages well to convey the feeling of freshness and purity emanating from the marquise (in a literal, not figurative sense). They said about Madame that “she smells like roses.” Unable to convey the fragrance, Boucher decorated her dress with roses and threw a couple of roses on the parquet floor at Pompadour's feet.
Boucher cannot be called a deep psychologist: his portraits do not convey any special insights and do not show traces of an intense inner life. He is not inclined to expose his characters, but, fortunately, he does not particularly flatter them. And if it flatters, it is not rude: Boucher portrays Madame de Pompadour as confident and calm, without a hint of cheap flirtation with the viewer. The book in her hand (the pages are clearly frayed from careful reading) and the bookcase behind her only state her brilliant education, which even her ill-wishers would not deny.
F fountain of love
1748, the year The Fountain of Love was written, is exactly the year when Boucher began working for Madame de Pompadour.
The main subjects of painting are pastorals, fetes galantes (so-called “gallant celebrations”), light and elegant love scenes. Until recently, your ancestors decorated scenes with ceremonial portraits and ceremonial paintings of heroes of antiquity. But you, a contemporary of the Marquise de Pompadour, of course, will not allow such an oversight. You know what's in fashion now, right? What was previously considered low and unworthy. Shepherds and shepherdesses! Besides, who cares about state rooms now? All important issues are resolved in alcoves, intimate salons, and cozy boudoirs. That's how much things have changed! No wonder they say that fashion is a fickle and unpredictable lady.
Source: Internet.
Francois Boucher - a great painter and decorator - biography and paintings updated: November 28, 2017 by: website
The artist was the legislator of all types of art in France in the first half of the 18th century, a major master of Rococo. Success and fame accompanied him all his life thanks to his great decorative gift, sense of color, light and sophisticated imagination. He worked in a machine shop and monumental painting, drawing, book illustration, theatrical decoration, decorative and applied arts (for the Beauvais tapestry manufactory and the Sèvres porcelain manufactory). His art vividly expressed the character of the era of Louis XV, when the heroic ideals of the previous time were receding into the past and the taste for grace and refinement inherent in Rococo gained strength.
From 1720, Boucher studied with F. Lemoine, a famous monumentalist; then he worked in the workshop of the engraver J.F. Kara the Elder, studying the art of book design and engraving. Participation in 1722-1723 in the creation of a series of etchings for the Julien Collection, in which the works of Watteau were reproduced, allowed him to get acquainted with the work of this artist and master his compositional techniques. Having received the first prize at the Paris Academy of Arts in 1723, he went to Italy (1723 - early 1730s). The landscapes executed here ("View of Tivoli", Boulogne, Museum of Arts and Architecture) already showed the artist's decorative talent, his ability to build a composition, combining the rhythm of the whole and details.
For the canvas “Rinaldo and Armida” (1734, Paris, Louvre) Boucher received the title of academician of painting, and from that time his brilliant career began: in 1737 he became a professor at the Academy of Arts, in 1737 - “the first painter of the king” and president of the Academy of Arts , in 1757-1765 - managed the work of the tapestry manufactory. In the 1730-1740s, he received large official orders for painting apartments in Versailles - in the Queen's room ("Royal Virtues", 1735), in the Small Apartments ("Tiger Hunt", "Crocodile Hunt", both - 1736, Amiens, Museum of Fine Arts), in the apartments of the Dauphin ("Venus and Vulcan", 1747, Paris, Louvre), as well as in the Royal Library of Paris ("History", 1743-1746, Paris, National Library). He displays a sophisticated imagination in them, depicting mythological and allegorical scenes with the piquant entertainment and grace valued in the Rococo era.
A significant role in Boucher’s creative life was played by the patronage of the Marquise de Pompadour (1721 - 1764), the lover of Louis XV, who provided him with orders in the palaces of Fontainebleau and Bellevue. Not keen on the portrait genre, the artist first painted Madame de Pompadour (Munich, Alte Pinakothek) in 1756, and then created a whole series of her portraits. All canvases are made in silver olive-brown tones. The noble customer poses with a book or at the piano, against the backdrop of the fashionable furnishings of the boudoir, study or living room of her Bellevue castle. Boucher loved the combination of several dominant colors, reducing his palette to them, but always striving for their exquisite tonal relationships. At the Salon of 1765, Diderot wrote that "his manner is broad and majestic" and that he has "a strong and true color." The decorative imposing quality inherent in an ideal portrait is combined in the images of the Marquise de Pompadour with the conveyance of an intimate, personal feeling, which gives them a more intimate tone.
In “state portraits” (this genre was widespread in the 18th century) or in “odalisques” Boucher often resorts to depicting a fashionable type of graceful beauty with a doll-like capricious pink face. Such are his female images in the paintings “Dark-haired Odalisque” (1745, Paris, Louvre) and “Blonde-haired Odalisque” (Munich, Alte Pinakothek). They are not devoid of piquant eroticism and are executed with great artistic skill. No less subtle according to those found color combinations images of female heads using oil and pastel painting techniques (“A Woman’s Head, or the Awakening”, 1730s, Moscow, State Museum fine arts them. A.S. Pushkin).
The period 1730-1750 was the heyday of Boucher's talent. He creates canvases on mythological and biblical subjects, paints pastorals, interior scenes, landscapes, creates scenery for ballets (Perseus, 1746 and Gallant India, 1735), works for tapestries and porcelain manufactories.
Boucher's landscapes reproduce rural views of the outskirts of Paris and Beauvais ("Landscape with a Hermit", 1742, Moscow, State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin). These are beautiful decorative compositions, painted in silver-green or silver-blue tones, as if transferred to easel painting from a trellis or from a theater set. They combine direct observations with a generalized and decorative composition.
The theme of rural views is also associated with pastoral scenes, for which any of the landscapes could be a spectacular backdrop. They depict pretty young villagers in bright costumes, busy relaxing or asking questions. love relationship. Pastorals are also built on the principle of a theatrical set: with a platform for actors, backstage, and a backdrop (“Beautiful Peisanette,” 1736, Nîmes, Museum of Fine Arts).
The artist's decorative talent was also evident in depicting scenes in interiors ("Breakfast", 1739, Paris, Louvre; "Morning", 1745, Stockholm, National Museum). Details of the setting and costumes of the characters are depicted in them with great artistic skill. However, Boucher is able, by giving a genre or more intimate mood to the scenes, to convey the feelings that unite the heroes of his works busy with breakfast, morning toilet, and conversation.
The artist shows the greatest freedom of imagination in his paintings on mythological subjects. He often depicts characters against the backdrop of picturesque ancient ruins. His paintings are spectacular in composition, executed with a dynamic brushstroke ("Hercules and Omphale", 1730s, Moscow, State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin; "Aurora and Cephalus", 1740s, Nancy, Museum of Fine Arts) . Boucher loved not only the use of certain several colors (playing with their tonal variations or, on the contrary, local combinations), but also catchy techniques. He either resorted to abundant glazes, giving the painting the appearance of a miniature or a porcelain surface, or painted with free liquid strokes, imitating the manner of J.B. Tiepolo, and in the palette - the coloring of the Venetian “virtuosos”. He was an interpreter of many manners, feeling creative freedom like a true master of the 18th century.
Boucher's favorite themes were scenes from the history of Jupiter ("Jupiter and Calisto", Moscow, State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin; Leda and the Swan, Stockholm, National Museum), which made it possible to introduce lively improvisation, a certain shade of daring eroticism.
Images of a serene world, full of sensual pleasures of life, are conveyed in the paintings “Diana’s Bathing” (1742, Paris, Louvre), “Venus Consoling Cupid” (1751, Washington, National Gallery of Art). For these plots that did not correspond to the aspirations of the Age of Enlightenment, he was subjected to severe criticism by Diderot, who wrote that “his debauchery should captivate dandies, frivolous women, youth, people of the world, that is, all those to whom true taste and truthfulness are alien.” In biblical scenes, the lack of internal drama and piety is compensated for by an emotional pictorial manner and equally effective color.
The artist's talent is closer to painting decorative panels to decorate interiors ("Toilet of Venus", St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum) in lush, oval-shaped rocaille frames.
Over the years, Boucher developed a light but effective stamp, as he was required to frequently repeat his work. Towards the end of his life, his sense of color also changes somewhat. However, in the 1760s he continued to work in painting and drawing, where he embodied his gift for color in pastels, gouaches, and the “three pencils” drawing technique (sanguine, white and black chalk on tinted paper). Boucher's artistic talent and refined taste were highly valued by his students and contemporaries.
Elena Fedotova
Francois Boucher (1703-1770), French painter, engraver, decorator, “the first painter of the king,” one of the most prominent masters of the Rococo style, the legislator of all types of art in France at the beginning of the 18th century. Boucher's first mentor was his father, Nicola Boucher, a humble art teacher and designer of embroidery patterns. Then Boucher was a student of François Lemoine for some time, after which he entered training with the engraver Jean-François Cars, with whom he worked on drawing up vignettes, coats of arms and emblems for Freemasonic diplomas. In 1722, Boucher was commissioned to illustrate a new edition of the “French History” by Honore Gabriel Daniel, and in 1723 Boucher received an academic prize for the painting “Evil-merodach, son and heir of Nebuchadnezzar, freeing King Joachim from the shackles.” In 1725, Boucher presented several paintings to an exhibition of young authors and was invited by de Julienne to collaborate in the publication of works by Antoine Watteau. In 1727, François Boucher went at his own expense to Rome, where he diligently studied the work of the painters Francesco Albani and Pietro da Cortona, with the latter the artist was often compared in the future. Modern critics of the 18th century found the paintings painted by François Boucher upon his return from Italy to be remarkable for their beauty and masculine strength; this applies, perhaps, to paintings that have come down to us only in engravings published by Lavrenty Kars, since the originals of these paintings have not survived. On November 24, 1731, Francois Boucher was admitted to the academy, where he painted the mythological painting “Venus and Vulcan with weapons for Aeneas.” In 1734 Boucher was awarded the title of academician for the painting “Rinaldo and Armida”, and in the same year the artist decorated the Queen’s room in the Palace of Versailles with allegorical figures of Compassion, Abundance, Fidelity and Prudence. In 1755-1765, Boucher headed the Royal Tapestry Manufactory in Paris; from 1765, Francois Boucher became director of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.
The forties of the 18th century were the heyday of the Rococo style in French art, which reflected the aristocratic ideals of noble society.
Bathing of Diana, 1742 Birth of Venus, 1740
Louvre Museum, Paris National Museum, Stockholm
The most famous Rococo artist was François Boucher, who, in addition to painting, worked in all types of decorative and applied arts: he created cardboards for tapestries, drawings for Sèvres porcelain, painted fans, performed miniatures and decorative paintings. Boucher's painting fully reflected the decorative principles of the art of his time. At the beginning of his career, Boucher was influenced by Antoine Watteau (he engraved the artist’s paintings); later he painted lampshades, panels, paintings with mythological, pastoral, and genre scenes, elegant and flirtatious portraits, idyllic landscapes, designed in soft silvery-green tones.
Landscape in the vicinity of Beauvais Mill in Charaton
One of the favorite genres of Rococo painting were pastoral motifs, the subjects of which artists found primarily in ancient mythology.
The talented decorator Francois Boucher was the creator of thoughtlessly festive art, based not so much on observation of life, but on improvisation. “The first artist” of King Louis XV, a favorite of the aristocracy, director of the Academy, Boucher designed books, created decorative panels for interiors, paintings for tapestries, headed weaving factories, created scenery and costumes for the Paris Opera, etc. In his paintings, Boucher addressed to mythology, allegory and pastoral, the interpretation of which sometimes showed traits of sentimentality and sweetness. Flirty Venus and nymphs, carelessly playful cupids, pastoral characters indulging in the pleasures of love are the heroes of his elegant paintings. The artist captured their soft pink bodies with blue and pearl transitions of shadows and midtones, piquant faces, graceful movements, often falling into mannerisms. François Boucher built compositions on a complex interweaving of curly lines and figures, brilliantly mastered angles, effectively used draperies, garlands, flowers, swirling clouds, surrounding the heroes with them.
Linking the compositions with the design of Rococo interiors, the artist preferred a light color scheme based on pink-red, white and soft blue tones. Not devoid of observation, as evidenced by his drawings and genre paintings, Boucher did not strive for the truthfulness of images, usually sensually idealized and monotonous in his interpretation.
Toilet of Venus, 1751
The “Toilet of Venus” (St. Petersburg, Hermitage) dates back to the heyday of Boucher’s work, a composition imbued with a wave-like rhythm, cheerfulness and serenity reign in it. “Shepherd Scene” (St. Petersburg, Hermitage) gives an idea of Boucher’s pastorals, entertaining and playful, full of irony.
Shepherd scene early, 1730s
The lyrical features of Boucher's talent were manifested in his decorative landscapes with the motif of rural nature, with intimate corners of dilapidated mills and huts. Graceful, graceful figures of his ancient heroines look like porcelain figurines.
Boucher loved light paintings and preferred elegant blues, pinks and green tones. In some of Boucher's paintings of the 1720-1730s, warm and rich in color (“Hercules and Omphale”, State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow), echoes of Flemish art are noticeable.
In later works (“The Bathing of Diana”, 1742, Louvre, Paris; portrait of the Marquise of Pompadour, 1752, Wallace Collection, London), with an abundance of shades of pink and blue, sinuous intertwining lines and complex angles, the decorativeness, sensuality, and somewhat cutesy grace characteristic of Rococo are enhanced , the impression of “porcelain” of the figures.
Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour, 1756
In the second half of the 50s of the 18th century, Boucher’s work became too abstract and cold, his painting became harsh, and false pathos appeared in his compositions. Boucher's creative crisis reflects the degradation of the Rococo style caused by the general decline of aristocratic culture. Boucher died on May 30, 1770.
Boucher's most talented student, artist Jean Honore Fragonard, inherited from the Rococo master his grace in the interpretation of figures and the plot of the painting, boldness of color and freedom of composition. Boucher's outstanding decorative and pictorial talent was appreciated by his contemporaries. However, soon after his death, Boucher's fame completely fell under the influence of the reaction of classicism. Francois Boucher began to be accused of corrupting youth, and the best of the artist’s paintings did not find buyers. Currently, these unfair accusations have lost their meaning; modern criticism gives Francois Boucher an honorable place among the artists of the French school of painting of the 18th century.
Portrait of Francois Boucher
Francois Boucher is a prominent representative of the Rococo era and a master artistic arts in French painting of the early 18th century. Boucher’s work is extremely difficult to characterize only in certain shades and angles, since his visual activity extends not only to paintings.
The creativity of Boucher the painter is extremely multifaceted; he turned to allegorical and mythological subjects, depicted village fairs and fashionable Parisian life, painted genre scenes, pastorals, landscapes, and portraits.
Boucher was awarded many honors, including the title of court painter (1765). He was actively involved in decorating the residences of the king and Madame de Pompadour and private mansions in Paris. Louis XV's favorite, the Marquise de Pompadour, whom he depicted in several portraits, was a fan of his. IN recent years Life was director of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture and "the king's first painter." Best works Bouchers are distinguished by their extraordinary charm and perfect execution.
Francois Boucher (1703-1770) was a typical representative of the light, festive, highly decorative art of Rococo. His painting was influenced by the work of Antoine Watteau, but the slight sadness evident in his paintings was alien to Boucher. We can say that Watteau gave Rococo the spirit, and Boucher the flesh. The master's canvases are full of sensuality, but in the French style: when love can take the form of a beautiful game.
In the rich pictorial heritage of François Boucher (1703-1770), who worked in the sensual and refined Rococo style, one of the most popular paintings is “The Bathing of Diana.” The most beautiful Olympian goddess Diana appeared on the canvas of the French artist as a most charming enchantress, resting after her hunting fun on the bank of a stream. Boucher did not strive to strictly follow the Greek myths about the goddess in painting her image. He is not interested in mythology as such, he only uses it as a convenient excuse for depicting a naked female body, young and beautiful. His Diana is a gentle creature, accustomed to bliss and care, she lives only to give pleasure to greedy glances.
Toilet of Venus (1751) (108 x 85) (New York, Metropolitan)
“The Toilet of Venus” was commissioned from the artist by his patron, Louis XV’s favorite Madame Pompadour, for her Chateau Bellevue near Paris. Madame Pompadour herself played the main role in the play of the same name at the Versailles theater. On the canvas, Venus looks like a court lady of the 18th century: she has a “porcelain” face with a languid playful expression, the gestures of a charming mince, a characteristic hairstyle with naturally lying curls, and all of her, despite the splendor of her forms, looks like a doll. Cupids don't so much dress up this charming coquette as play with her hair and jewelry. Doves, sacred birds, hover near Venus, one of them clings to the goddess’s chest. The beauty's body is painted in rare and refined, but somewhat unnatural colors. Boucher did this deliberately: he did not seek to imitate nature, explaining this by the fact that nature is also imperfect.
Madame Bergeret (c.1766) (143.5 x 105.4) (Washington, National Gallery)
“Portrait of Madame Bergeret” is one of the most interesting in the master’s work. It is not established exactly who is depicted on the canvas. Perhaps this is one of the three wives of Bergeret de Grandcourt, a collector who owned the largest collection of paintings and drawings by Boucher, or the Marquise de Pompadour herself, since the author repeated the pose of “Madame Bergeret” in her later portrait, and the artist always idealized the features of the models . The noble customer poses for the painter in a rich, shimmering light silk dress; the bodice is decorated with a bouquet of flowers and a voluminous blue bow, the color of which echoes the ribbons on the wide-brimmed straw hat in her hand. The work is based on a combination of soft silver-olive tones, characteristic of 18th-century painting.
Venus asking Vulcan for weapons for Aeneas (1732) (252 x 175) (Paris, Louvre)
Aeneas, the hero of Virgil's poem Aeneid, was destined to land in Italy and found the city of Rome. Upon his arrival there, he was involved in a series of wars provoked by Juno. Venus, the mother of Aeneas, repeatedly came to his aid. Boucher's painting (1732) depicts a nude Venus, the goddess of beauty and love, sitting flirtatiously on a cloud, surrounded by swans and doves - these birds are considered her attributes. She looks at her husband Vulcan and asks him to make armor for her son.
Court painter to the French king Louis XV, Boucher was criticized for being too self-indulgent and not depicting anything more serious than putti, nymphs and half-naked women. But his light, graceful style, characteristic of Rococo art, was ideal for paintings, jewelry, tapestries and royal palace decorations.
Diana after bathing (1742) (56 x 73) (Paris, Louvre)
Boucher depicted the virgin goddess-hunter Diana on the bank of a clear stream. She carelessly threw her quiver of arrows away. In the foreground, the viewer sees her bow and the “fruits of her labors” - two shot pigeons and a hare. The artist did not intend to deceive anyone: he depicted a completely earthly girl in the form of a goddess. Mythology here is only a decent excuse to turn to naked female nature. Despite the fact that Diana has always been considered a stern goddess, accustomed to the hardships of a hunting life, Boucher cannot deny himself the pleasure of painting her against the backdrop of luxurious draperies. With an odalisque gesture, Diana fingers a string of pearls with her soft pink plump fingers. Her body is that of a pampered favorite of some duke. It is difficult to imagine that this graceful beauty could spend several hours chasing game. It is even more difficult to imagine that this Diana would set her dogs on the unfortunate Actaeon, who accidentally saw her nakedness. Most likely, he will open his arms to meet him. The relaxed poses of the goddess and the nymph, her faithful servant, testify to the skill of Boucher the painter.
Obviously, by his temperament, Boucher could not be a master of historical painting (although he was officially considered one). But at the same time, it cannot be said that the artist experienced any difficulties while working on complex, multi-component compositions. Boucher has never had a detail look ridiculous, “glued on.” The master always “operated” with amazing skill, for example, with draperies and still lifes. An example of a brilliant still life is the “still life with a bow, two doves and a hare,” which the viewer can see in the painting “Diana’s Bath.” It is very skillfully integrated into the composition of the picture, without getting lost in the general background, but also without overshadowing the main plot. Pay attention also to the blue drapery, which, on the one hand, exquisitely contrasts with Diana’s delicate skin, and on the other, sets off the doves’ dove wings and gray hare fur. The damp green background of the picture can also be called successful. It reminds the viewer of clear water, shady oak forests, evening coolness - in a word, something that softens the senses, evokes pleasant memories and dreamy thoughts. Against this background, beautiful naked women look, perhaps, even more advantageous than they would look in the most magnificent boudoir.
Rinaldo and Armida (1734) (135.5 x 170.5) (Paris, Louvre)
The Birth and Triumph of Venus (1740) (130 x 162) (Stockholm, National Museum)
"The Triumph of Venus" (1740), It was this painting that the Swedish envoy Tessin bought from Boucher for 1600 livres.
Autumn Pastoral (1749) (260 x 199) (London, Wallace Collection)
"Autumn Pastoral" is one of two paintings commissioned by François Boucher from Louis XV's finance minister. The second painting is called "Summer Pastoral". The plots of both "pastorals" were inspired by the pantomime of the prolific playwright Charles Simon Favard (1710-1792). In this case, the painting presents a touching scene - a young shepherd feeds Lisette, the main character of the pantomime, grapes. Boucher loved this plot so much that he painted at least two more paintings on it, and the shepherd and Lisette eventually turned into porcelain figurines. We do not know whether Boucher himself made the sketches for these figurines. It is quite possible that the Minister of Finance, who had his own connections with the porcelain manufactory, gave this order to some other artist (Boucher’s services might have seemed too expensive to the minister). One thing is known: for many years the shepherd and Lisette became the favorite heroes of the “masters of porcelain” not only in France, but throughout Europe. True, the fact that the playwright Favart “composed” the shepherd, the grapes and Lisette was forgotten very soon.
Resting Odalisque (Portrait of Mademoiselle Louise O'Murphy) (1752) (59 × 73) (Munich, Alte Pinakothek)
Denis Diderot, Boucher's most vehement critic, more than once attacked the master for being too fond of “painting girls.” “And what are these girls like?” Diderot is indignant. “Graceful representatives of the demi-monde.” Indeed, Boucher thought little about the “moral” side of his work. And he painted naked women not only in the form of goddesses and nymphs (in mythological paintings nudity does not look so provocative, since it is determined by the plot itself), but quite often depicted completely earthly odalisques. For example, in this painting he creates an overtly sensual image. A young girl, almost a teenager, lies spread out on the sofa. Boucher surrounds the young beauty with the most refined luxury. Soft pillows, draperies, an incense burner - all this creates an atmosphere of sensual bliss. The viewer, meanwhile, immediately understands that the heroine of the canvas found herself in such an environment quite recently and has not yet had time to get used to it. And this “freshness” was supposed to give the girl even more charm in the eyes of the “depraved aristocrats” of the 18th century. It is assumed that Louise O'Murphy, the daughter of an Irish shoemaker, posed for this painting by Boucher. At the age of fourteen, the girl began working as a model, and soon attracted the attention of Louis XV, and he made her one of his mistresses. She did not remain indifferent to the charms Louise and the famous Casanova, who called her “a snow-white lily, the most beautiful of all earthly creatures.” In conclusion, we note that the painting “Reclining Girl” was a huge success - Boucher even had to paint several copies of it.
In almost all of his works dedicated to love and sensual pleasures, Boucher reduces the narrative element to a minimum, leaving the viewer to simply enjoy the pink nudity of the nymphs and the porcelain faces of the shepherdesses. But the painting “Mars and Venus Caught by Vulcan” should be considered an exception to this rule. It illustrates a whole myth. As the reader remembers, Venus was the wife of Vulcan, a lame, but at the same time very skilled god in the blacksmith's craft. The goddess of love, however, was much less interested in these outstanding abilities of her husband than in the courageous beauty of Mars, the god of war. And one fine day she became his mistress. Frustrated and offended, Vulcan forged a thin, but very strong net, into which the unlucky lovers were caught. For his painting, Boucher chooses the most dramatic moment of this story. Vulcan casts his magic net over the lovers. Venus, not yet suspecting anything, sweetly dozes in the arms of the god of war. And he, barely waking up, looks with horror at the formidable husband of Venus. Despair is written on the face of Mars - after all, he is unarmed and therefore cannot give a worthy rebuff to the jealous person. The artist depicted his shield, helmet and spear in the foreground of the picture - so that the viewer would understand that Mars could not reach his “equipment”, even if he really wanted to. The frightened putti are trying either to cover the lovers or to hide from Vulcan, and the incense burner placed at the foot of the bed continues to exude a sweet, sensual and - in light of the new turn of events - inappropriate aroma.
Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour (1759) (91 × 68) (London, Wallace Collection)
Portraiture was not Boucher's forte. Throughout his life, he painted about a dozen portraits. Half of them depict Madame Pompadour, which undoubtedly testifies to the close friendship between the artist and the king's mistress. The picture you see in front of you is the last portrait of Madame Pompadour. At one time this painting hung in Versailles, and after the death of the royal favorite it passed to her brother. Despite the fact that Madame Pompadour loved Boucher very much and considered him a brilliant painter, she had no illusions about his ability to paint portraits. She said about one of her portraits by Boucher: “I look beautiful here, but not at all like myself.”
It is necessary, however, to note the originality of the manner in which these portraits were painted. On the one hand, they are not devoid of the features of a traditional ceremonial portrait, on the other hand, they are colored by intimacy, the personal relationship of the artist to the model. By the time this portrait was painted, Madame Pompadour was no longer the king’s mistress, although she retained all the privileges of an “official favorite.” Being “de jure” just a marquise, “de facto” she received the honors befitting a duchess. However, from the portrait of 1759, what looks at us is, rather, not a powerful and ambitious person, but an intelligent, educated lady with a subtle artistic taste. This is how Boucher himself remembered her, and this is how many contemporaries spoke of her, noting that Madame de Pompadour had neither arrogance nor eccentricity, usually characteristic of “birds of such flight.” On the contrary, everyone spoke with one voice about the courtesy and tact of the king's most famous mistress.
Hermitage: Boucher, Francois - Landscape in the vicinity of Beauvais
Mill at Charenton (1750s) (72 x 92) (Orleans, Museum of Fine Arts)
Boucher's landscapes, like his works in other genres, went out of fashion at the end of the 18th century. Idyllic landscape pictures were replaced by romantic paintings, which were supposed to give the viewer an idea of the greatness of Nature. For many years, the dilapidated mills and quiet ponds, which both the artist himself and his customers loved so much, were forgotten. These landscapes really cannot be considered the pinnacle of Boucher’s work, and yet it is difficult not to agree that they were painted by the hand of a great master. You shouldn’t look for a truthful reflection of nature in them, but their charm is not in truthfulness. The hero of our issue wrote most of his landscape paintings based on impressions from country trips. He worked on the sketches he brought from these trips at home, in his Parisian studio. Some of them became material for future tapestries, and some were “processed” into small landscapes. When it comes to the details of the landscape, Boucher was quite accommodating: at the request of the customer, he could include in the composition of the painting a village hut, an old humpbacked bridge, a figurine of a shepherdess or a washerwoman. A typical example of Boucher's work in the genre of "landscape idyll" is presented above.
Sketch of "Water" (1748)
Francois Boucher was one of the best draftsmen of the 18th century. He noticed the smallest naturalistic details with exceptional accuracy. Art historians believe that Boucher created at least ten thousand drawings in his lifetime. various techniques. Many of them are sketches for his future paintings. For example, the sketch presented above was later used when working on the painting “Water” from the “Four Elements” cycle, which decorated the doors of one of the royal castles. In addition to sketches, Boucher also created completely finished drawings, each of which can be considered an independent work of art. In these cases, the master most often turned to female nature - both dressed and naked. His drawing “Nude on a Bed” breathes with serenity and charm. Usually the artist drew with black, red and white chalk on yellow paper, but sometimes he used pastels and colored ink. Already during his lifetime, Boucher's reputation as a draftsman was very high, as evidenced by the fact that his drawings were instantly snapped up by art collectors. Some of them were more expensive than “full-fledged” paintings by other painters.
Toilet of Venus (after 1743) (101 x 86.7) (St. Petersburg, Hermitage)
As already mentioned, Boucher resorted to mythological subjects mainly in order to be able to depict beautiful naked women surrounded by the most unnecessary details. In addition, these subjects were ideally suited for porcelain, decorative panels and tapestries. Boucher usually avoided dramatic scenes, preferring to choose “plotless subjects” for his paintings, which allowed him to pay the most attention to the graceful poses of nymphs and goddesses.
The best mythological works of Boucher are considered to be the paired canvases “Sunrise”, 1753 and “Sunset”, as well as “The Triumph of Venus” and “The Bathing of Diana”. All of these works completely lack a narrative element. But almost everywhere there are beautiful female bodies in abundance (most of all, Boucher loved to paint, of course, the goddess of love, Venus). Very characteristic of the master’s work is the oval medallion “Toilet of Venus,” where the goddess is shown in all the splendor of her nudity. Note that Boucher never depicted male bodies so openly. In "Venus and Mars Caught by Vulcan" we see only the heads and shoulders of Vulcan and Mars. But the artist brings Venus to the foreground, giving the viewer the opportunity to enjoy the contemplation of her magnificent forms. It is interesting that Jupiter (in scenes where he seduces one or another of his “mythological mistresses”) never appears before the viewer as a man. With Leda he is a swan, with Danae he is golden shower, with Callisto he is Diana.
Sunrise (1748) (321 × 270) (London, Wallace Collection)
Toilet (1742) (52.5 x 66.5) (Madrid, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum) Woman adjusting her garter (1742)
Not all clients liked Boucher's "signature menu", which consisted of pastoral, mythological and boudoir scenes. Yes, one must think, the master himself sometimes got tired of nymphs and shepherdesses. And then from under his brush came charming genre scenes - with doll women dressed in latest fashion, well-mannered children and elegant details of everyday life. Perhaps Boucher’s most famous genre painting is “Morning Coffee,” 1739. Apparently, his wife and sister, as well as his two children, posed for the master. The sun breaking through the window colors exquisite interior rooms in soft colors. Everyone present looks pleased with each other, the coffee pot is smoking in the hands of the servant, the children are angels. Such genre scenes were very popular among customers. For example, the Swedish Crown Princess Louise Ulrika ordered four paintings from the artist (according to the time of day - morning, afternoon, evening and night) "with fashionably dressed figures and beautiful faces". Count Tessin was also a big fan of Boucher's genre paintings. For him, the artist painted the "Woman Adjusting her Garter" (1742) below. Note how very different these paintings are from Chardin's genre scenes. Every detail - right down to the heel of the beauty's shoe, right down to a children's toy - he speaks here about the “art of living.” And it is obvious that Boucher understands this “art” in a completely different way than Chardin.
Morning Coffee (1739) (81.5 × 61.5) (Paris, Louvre) Morning Coffee (1739)
Perhaps nowhere have they ever strived for “pleasantness” and sophistication as much as at the court of King Louis XV. The art of living easily, “plucking flowers of pleasure,” began to be revered as a real art. Sometimes it seems that there was already a premonition of a thunderstorm, an impending catastrophe, in the air then. And that it was precisely this premonition that determined the desire to settle down with all possible grace and comfort, to surround oneself with rosy-cheeked shepherdesses, porcelain dolls, and idyllic landscapes. It was precisely this that demanded that life be like theater. And Boucher skillfully fed the illusions of his customers. His paintings immerse the viewer in a world of charming dreams and charming fiction. Notice that the master never tells us, “Look how true this is.” He says, "Look how cute this is." He does not educate us, does not instill in us the desire for high goals, but only regrets that life is so short and so, in essence, sad. And, regretting this, he tries to smooth out its corners, to drape its ugliness, to make it at least a little more pleasant. Deception? Let it be. But a person does not always need the truth. Sometimes he also needs consolation.
The “porcelain art” of France undoubtedly owes a lot to Boucher and, of course, Madame Pompadour. Beginning in the 1740s, the king's mistress became keenly interested in the porcelain manufactory in Vincennes. Her interest was so persistent that in 1751 Louis XV gave her this small factory. And madam, rolling up her sleeves, got to work. On her initiative, porcelain production gradually “moved” to Sèvres (the move took place in 1753-56). At the same time, the Marquise de Pompadour invited Francois Boucher to develop new projects for her manufactory.
Over the course of a decade (from 1756 to 1766), the artist created countless sketches, according to which figurines and sets were made at the factory. Among most interesting works from his drawings it can be called "The Science of Love", 1763 (top right). This composition was created according to the master’s sketch by Etienne Maurice Falconet. The series of “Children” figurines, made of white porcelain, is also remarkable. Charming children, sculpted according to the artist’s drawings, do nothing but pick flowers and sing songs. As for the services painted according to Boucher’s drawings, it is impossible to ignore the set of vases “Lovers in the Garden” (below). These vases are distinguished by great grace, although to a modern viewer they may seem somewhat “overloaded” with details.
The artist’s work had a huge influence on the development of decorative ceramics in the second half of the 18th century. Not only Sèvres masters, but also masters from other European countries worked from Butet’s drawings. At the famous porcelain factory in Meissen near Dresden, Boucher's sketch was used, for example, to create the "Garden Scene" (above left). After the death of Madame Pompadour in 1764, Boucher's cooperation with the Sevres manufactory gradually came to naught, since the king's new favorite, Madame Dubarry, began to manage the affairs here.
Nest (1740) (98 x 146) (Paris, Louvre) Shepherdess
Now it is difficult to even imagine how popular pastoral scenes were in the second half of the 18th century. True, after the revolution they began to criticize them with the same passion with which they had previously extolled and bought them. At some point, the shepherdesses became, in the eyes of the radicals, almost the main symbols of the hated “old regime.” However, in Boucher's time, such pastorals by the master, such as “The Shepherdess” or “The Nest” (above), were reproduced both in the form of tapestries and as designs for porcelain services. And, of course, many engravings were made from them, because not only aristocrats, but also people of quite simple rank wanted to own elegant household items.
Pretty, tastefully dressed (or scantily clad) shepherdesses could decorate not only the royal apartments, but also the home of a poor seamstress. Of course, the latter had to be content not with the master’s masterpiece, but with an inferior engraving. The source of “pastoral inspiration” was the Boucher Theater, where pastoral plays with music and poetry were often staged in the 17th-18th centuries. The first plays of this kind appeared in the 16th century - in Italy. From there they migrated to France. Here pastorals most often took the form of ballet or pantomime. It is known that Boucher designed similar performances more than once, and many of their plots later formed the basis of his idyllic shepherd scenes
Palace of Versailles: Francois Boucher -- Pastoral
Odalisque (1743) (53 x 65) (Reims, Museum of Art) Odalisque (1743)
This work can be called the “prototype” of “Reclining Girl,” created almost a decade later. A young beauty lies languidly on the sofa. Dreaminess is written on her face: it is turned towards the viewer, but the woman’s eyes are directed somewhere into the distance. Both the title and specific oriental details should hint that the action takes place in the harem of some sultan (albeit in a strongly Europeanized harem).
Milliner (1746) (64 × 53) (Stockholm, National Museum)
A charming genre scene, written as if specifically for a lady's boudoir or study. A milliner is sitting on the floor, bringing her customer a box of ribbon samples to choose from. The customer has probably been choosing ribbons for quite some time, because the viewer can clearly see the submissive fatigue on the face of the young dressmaker.
Mill (1751) (66 x 84) (Paris, Louvre)
One of Boucher's signature landscapes. There is everything here that the most demanding customer could wish for. An old mill, rickety hedges, a bridge, pigeons, cute kids. Even the washerwoman who washes clothes in the graceful pose of a court lady making a deep curtsey.
The Rape of Europa (1732-1734) (231 x 274) (London, Wallace Collection)
The paintings of Francois Boucher were commissioned by the king of France, his favorite and all the court nobility. This artist is one of the brightest representatives of the Rococo era, who in the 18th century was deservedly considered a trendsetter of various arts in Paris and beyond.
Family and painting training
Was born famous painter in 1703 in Paris in the family of an artist engaged in the development of embroidery patterns. From childhood, having noticed his son’s extraordinary drawing abilities, Nicolas Boucher sent his son to study in the workshop of Lemoine, who was considered a prominent master of painting in France.
By nature, Francois was hardworking and diligent, delighting teachers with his obedience and talent. He gradually mastered various types of art: as a decorator he creates patterns for wallpaper, successfully tries himself in working with engravings and talentedly creates paintings.
At the age of 16, he begins working on his first order from a publishing house for the design of the book “French History” by Daniel, and a year later he receives an academic prize for one of his paintings.
One of the pages of Francois Boucher’s biography is the creation of a series of engravings based on Watteau’s paintings, which took him 2 years of his life and helped him study the works and manner of this painter.
Since the age of 22, the paintings of the artist François Boucher have been actively presented at exhibitions, where both the public and critics have always perceived them with admiration. Clearly understanding what customers required of him, he created works using his stock of painting techniques and a set of subjects that were dictated by the fashion of the time and the tastes of the aristocracy.
Having received a scholarship from the Academy, in 1727 he made a study trip to Italy, where he not only studied, but also received additional orders for paintings from wealthy clients.
The work of Francois Boucher
After returning from Italy, Boucher's work received full recognition. From 1734 he became a member of the Royal Academy and then its professor. For many years, the artist has been working in Versailles, decorating the royal residence with paintings and decor, and participating in the decoration of the halls of the Royal Library in Paris.
The main themes of Francois Boucher's paintings are descriptions of nature, genre sketches, portraits, works on mythical and biblical subjects. Boucher showed his brilliant skill as a painter in creating genre paintings, carefully depicting every detail and little detail: all the compositions and the people in them, their facial features look very lifelike and natural.
The painting “Breakfast” by F. Boucher is one of the pearls of his paintings. In it, the artist depicted a family (presumably his own), successfully conveying the atmosphere of warm relationships, prosperity and love. The color range is presented delicate shades, from light to dark tones.
The furnishings of the room are described down to the smallest detail and decorative elements(table on curly legs, gilded mirror, antique watch, table service, toys). The clothes are drawn in great detail: dresses, lace, caps. The artist paid great attention to the smallest details that characterize the era, and even a Buddha standing on a shelf can tell the viewer about fashion in the 18th century. to Chinese art. This work of art introduces viewers to the era and customs of people.
Portraits of the Marquise de Pompadour
In 1756, great fame came to the artist: he received an order from the French king for a portrait of his favorite Madame de Pompadour and completed it brilliantly. A description of Francois Boucher’s painting “Marquise de Pompadour” can be done from the point of view of the era and the lady’s status as the king’s favorite. Her name became a household name during her lifetime. She was the king's mistress for only 5 years, but even after that, maintaining the friendship of the monarch, she participated in governing the state for many more years.
The attitude of the courtiers towards her was different: some considered her selfish and vindictive, others valued her for her intelligence, beauty and learning. Possessing good taste, she actively participated in the design of interiors and decoration of royal palaces, and patronized many artists.
The artist painted it with a book in his hands, sitting on the couch in his room. She is dressed in all the most fashionable toiletries of that era: a dress trimmed with roses and lace, mules (which came into fashion thanks to her). Everything represents a state of freshness and purity. The marquise's pose radiates calm and confidence, the book in her hand and the cabinet behind her draw attention to her high level of education.
The Marquise de Pompadour herself spoke of this portrait as “very similar, but too beautiful,” with her characteristic directness and intelligence. Subsequently, Boucher painted portraits of her more than once, becoming a court artist and decorator.
Paintings of mythological and biblical themes
In works with mythical and biblical heroes, F. Boucher showed his imagination and freedom of creativity, using great color scheme and painting techniques. Antique buildings are always present as a background, but not real ones, but imagined by the artist. The center of all works is the heroes of myths, scenes and descriptions of their relationships.
Most often they contain Jupiter, Venus, various nymphs, naiads and cupids.
Fancois Boucher's painting "The Toilet of Venus" depicts the goddess of love surrounded by cupids, she is almost completely naked and in the style of painting resembles a palace lady of the Rococo era. As always, the artist worked out a lot of details. Curled curls of Venus, cupids playing with beads, a luxurious sofa with gold voluminous ornament, covered with silk, doves near her feet and in her hands, a copper teapot standing nearby and a jug lying - all this is more reminiscent of a French lady's boudoir, albeit with a mythical character in center.
Francois Boucher: paintings with titles based on biblical subjects
These are the following works:
- "Aurora and Mullet".
- "Hercules and Omphale", 1730s.
- "Venus asks Vulcan for a weapon for Aeneas."
- "Jupiter and Callisto", 1744.
- "Leda and the Swan".
- "Diana's Bath", 1742.
- "Toilet of Venus";
- "Venus Consoling Cupid", 1751.
- "Gideon's Sacrifice" and others.
Landscapes by F. Boucher
One of the areas of the artist’s creativity is the creation of scenery and tapestries, for which he painted landscapes, drawing the environs of Paris and Beauvais. In the paintings of François Boucher, the description of the nature and rural life of the French province is presented in the form of pastoral scenes with young village women who are on vacation or sorting out love relationships.
The scenery that Boucher painted for performances while working in theaters in France also had a similar theme.
François Boucher's paintings have been considered for many years as "a mirror reflecting the court life of France under King Louis 15th." The artist, with the help of his skill and filigree technique, was able to reflect the tastes of the 18th century public in painting. Art connoisseurs especially admire his coloristic approach to his paintings and his ability to create a special radiant light on the canvas, which would later be reflected in the style of the Impressionists.
He could skillfully create paintings that were festive and varied in genre, applying his talents to other works of art. In the biography of Francois Boucher, paintings played a major, but not the only role. He worked actively at the tapestry factory, creating more than 40 sketches of tapestries. Porcelain products were made from his sketches, Boucher created engravings for book designs (based on the works of Moliere, Ovid, etc.), and painted scenery for theatrical productions of the ballets “Perseus” (1746) and “Gallant India” (1735). Due to all this, he was able to amass an impressive fortune.
Last years of life
The decline of Francois Boucher's work occurred gradually, as a new style in art - classicism - came into fashion. The public's interest in the artist's works began to decline, and after the death of the Marquise de Pompadour, he lost the support of the royal court, but still remained as director of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.
The last years of F. Boucher's life passed in peace and quiet. He died in 1770, leaving behind about a thousand paintings and other works, becoming famous as a great painter of the Rococo era.
F. Boucher's paintings are exhibited in famous museums in France, the USA and other countries.
