French art.
The collection of 15-18th century French art is displayed in the Winter Palace and takes over 50 rooms, where almost all styles and genres are represented – paintings, sculpture. No collection outside France can rival the H. Many of the exhibits are acquired by Catherin the Great, who was a great admirer of French style.
Limoges enamel was produced in Limoges, the most famous European centre of enamel production as early as the 12 century. This enamels were usually implied on a copper base, but also sometimes on silver or gold. Some of the early LE display a band of ornamental script, which became a distinctive feature in Limoges. Plates, cups, reliquaries, icons.
Bernard Palissy – a French potter, engineer and craftsman, who struggled for 16 years to imitate Chinese porcelain. In mid 19th century his pottery became an inspiration for Victorian majolica. Little is known about the artist, but his father was a glass-painter and he started as his father’s apprentice. After his apprenticeship he became a travelling workman and travelled in many part in France, in Germany and in Italy.
Upon return to his native country, he married and started a practice as a portrait-painter, glass-painter and land-surveyor. At some point artist saw a white enameled cup, which caused him such surprised, that he decided to spent his life to discover a secret of its manufacture (probably a piece of Italian majolica or a specimen of Chinese porcelain). For nearly 16 years he worked to recreate the portrait that we have seen, working with most diligence, but never succeeded. Himself and his wife were reduced to poverty, he had to burn his family to fid the fire of his furnaces. All this struggles were carefully recorded in his autobiography. Though he failed, he succeeded in making a special type of poverty, which will always be associated with his name, decorated with modeled reliefs, colored naturalistically with glasses and enamels.
In 1518 the constable of Montmorency saw his work and found him a commission in decorating his chateau with glazed terracotta. Shortly after artist became famous at the French court. Around 1563 he moved to Paris, where he established pottery-works in vicinity of Louver. For 25 years he worked in Paris. Working for the court, he continued making his rustic figurines, but also made a series of plates, ornamented with biblical and mythological subjects.
At the same time he began giving series of public lections on natural history. He was one of the first Europeans to produce the correct theory of the origin of fossils. Hу also was an author of theoretical works on hydraulics, which were far in advance of the general knowledge of his time. In 1588, as a result of a fanatical outburst, he was thrown into the Bastille, was condemned to death and died in a Bastille-dungeon in 1589.
Simon Vouet Симон Вуэ Здесь были комнаты ЕII
Alligorical portrait of quine Ann of Austria (sha was french) as Minerva (owl, wreath and helmet)
Introduced Italian baroque style to France. Born in a family of artist he travelled in England and Italy. He lived in Rome where the baroque style was emerged. The artist observed absorved everything he saw and studied. In 1627 he return to France following pressing summons Ludovic Where he became his court painter of Lui XIII. He also produced the whole school of French baroque painters.
Louis Lenain Луи Ленен
One of the three Linen’s Brothers who podused … genres portraits and miniature portraits.
They shared a studio in
Because of remarkable similarity of their styles it’s very hard to distinguish the works by each brother, they signed them only with surnames, but Louis is usually credited with the best known of his paintings – a series of scenes depicting peasant’ s life. The subjects are never grotesk. Choise of color is typical of Spanish school. The choice of subject was unusual for the time because France loved mythological subjects and allegorical images of king. For many years the art of L brothers remain forgotten until it had the rivaval in 1840th . The friend of Musto Courbet rediscovered their paintings/ Then they remain popular in XX century.
“Milk maids family”
1594-1655 Nicolas Poussen
His work features clarity, logic and order. And favours line over color. В отличие от барокко и маньеристов/
“ Landscape with polythemos” His worl was alternative to the baroque style. …The major inspiration for such classical artists (Энгр, Сезанн). He spent most of his life in Rome except for a short period when cardinal Reshelie prdered him back to paint.
6 отделов Эрмитажа:
- западно-европейское
- античное
- нумизматика
- восток
- prehistoric
- русское
Pussen. 12 paintings. French painter in the classical style – clarity, logic, order. Worked in Rome. Born in Normandy, studied under a local painter until running away to Paris at the age of 18. There he received further training from minor artists. Set his mind moving to Rome, though his first attempt to do so failed, eventually was hired by Jan Batisto Morino, the court poet of Maris Medici, to illustrate his poem, which enables him to move to Rome in 1624. Eventually he arrived to Rome at the age of 30, where he eventually settled. Befriended other artists (Clod Loren) and joint an informal academy of artists and paintings.
Here in mid 1630th he painted «Tancret and Erminia». Depicts a scene from a poet by Torkvato Tasso “Jerusalem Delivered”. A Christian knight was wounded in a battle and Saracen princess Erminia came to dress his wounds with her beautiful hairs.
In 1640 Pussen returned to France, where Luis the 13 appointed him the first painter. Produced several paintings to the royal chapels, tapestries, after 2 years returned to Rome, disgusted by the intrigue, died in 1665, left no children.
“Landscape with Polythiaus”. In his works the artist looked for features of antiquity as a standard, themes of tragedy and death are prevailed. His is an important figure in a development of landscape painting, which form graceful background for group of figures.
In our painting based on “Ovid’s metamorphsisis”. We may sea Sicilian Cyclops Polithemes, who fell in love with the sea nymph Galatea. Since she didn’t reciprocate hi, Polithemes went to play a pipe and all felt silent, enchanted by his music. Artist is obvious is not so interested on the story, but in landscape.
Initially his talent was recognized only by a small circle of collectors, until the 19th century, where he became inspirational for thoughtful and self-reflexes artists (Cesann). Today there is a gallery dedicated to his works at the Louver.
Clod Loren. 1600-1682 – an artist in the baroque era, was admired for his achievements in landscape paintings. In his landscaped Loren developed classical style, introduced by Pussen. The H has his 12 paintings, most valuable is a set of 4 paintings “4 times of the day” – Morning, Day, Evening and Night. Born in the town of Champaign in Loren (Лотарингия). One of five children, his actual name was Clod Jellee, but he’s better known by the province in which he was born. Orphaned by the age of 12, he went to live with his brother, afterwards went to Rome. Obviously travelled in Italy, France and Germany. Two landscapes, painted for cardinal, won him the patronage of the Pope. From 1637 he rapidly achieved fame as a painter of landscapes and seascapes. 40th – “Morning at the harbor”.
Friend of Pussen, thought both can be called landscape painters, in Pussen the landscape is usually a background to the figures, while for Loren the true subjects are – the land, the sea and the air. By report, he often engaged other artists to paint the figures for him. 1682 he died in Rome, leaving his considerable wealth to his nephew and adopted daughter.
Clod Loren was described as kind to his students and hard-working, but an unlettered man. John Constable describe him as “the most perfect landscape painter the world ever saw”.
Поднимаемся на 3й этаж - elevator.
Ougust Renoir 1841-1919. A leading French painter in the development of the impressionist style. A celebrator of beauty and feminine sensuality. It has been said, that Renoir is a final representative of the tradition, which runs directly from Rubens to Wattou. Father of actor Pier Renoir anв film maker Jan Renoir. The artist was born in Limoges in a working class family. As a boy, he worked in a porcelain factory, where his drawing talents led him to being chosen to paint designs for fine china. In 1862 he began studied under Charles Glier in Peris, there he met Alfred Sisley and Klod Mone. At times during the 1816th he didn’t have enough money to by paint. Although Renoir first started exhibiting paintings at the Paris saloon in 1864, recognition didn’t come for another 10 years. Travelled to Algeria, Spain, Italy to see the works of Velasquez, Titian and Raphael.
One of the early works of ower collection – “the portrait of Janna Somari” 1878. He painted several portraits (3) I various sizes and colors. Before she got married, she lived not far from Renoir’s studio and often set for him. The H has one of the best portraits, was commissioned by actresses parents, the artist managed to convey the beauty gracefulness, quick wit, intelligence of his model. “A boy with a whip” 1885. Renoir painted all four children of doctor Gujon. This is the portrait of Etien, the third son at the age of 5. From the collection of this doctor purchased by Valar, от него Морозов, 1918 – nationalized first in Moscow. Around 1829 the artist had rheumatoid arthritis, but his paintings remain bright and cheerful, which limited his movement and eventually made him while-chair bound.
It has often been reported, that in advanced stages of his illness, he painted by having a brush strapped to his paralyzed fingers. He also used a moving canvas to facilitate painting large works with his limited mobility. In 1919 he visited the Louver to see his paintings hanging with those of the old masters and died on the dame year.
His paintings are notable for their vibrant light and saturated color, most often focusing on people in intimate and candid compositions.
In the late 1860th though the practice of painting light and water in the open air, he and his friend, Clod Mone, discovered, that the colors of shadows are not brown or black, but the reflected color of the objects surrounding it. His works were often snapshots of real life, full of sparkling color and light. But by mid 1880th, he started to apply a more disciplined formal technique to portraits, particularly of women. But in 1890th he changed again, returned to thinly brush color as in his earlier work. He was a prolifecatist, who made several thousands paintings. The worm sensuality of his style made him one of the most well-known artists in the history of art.
Clod Mone. The founder of French impressionism, the most consistent practitioner of the movement’s philosophy. The term “impressionism” was derived from the title of his painting – “Impression sunrise” 1872. Born in Paris in 1840. When the boy was 5, his family moved to Normandy. His father wanted him to go to the family grossery-buisness, but the boy wanted to become an artist. In Normandy he entered the school of Arts, during that early period Clod became well-known among the locals for his char-coal caricatures, which he sold for 10 to 12 francs. When his mother died in 1857 at the age of 16 the boy left school and went to live with his widowed childless aunt.
During that period, he visited the Louvre, where he witnessed painters copying from the old masters. Mone instead would seat by a window and paint what he saw. Disillusioned with traditional art taught at art-schools, in 1862 Mone became the student of Glier in Paris, where he met Renoir, Sisley, Basil, together where they invented new approach in art – painting the effects of light in the open air, with broken color and rapid brush strokes. In 1866 he won recognition with a portrait of his wife (“A woman in green dress”), who was his model for “The women in the garden”(1867). We have 8 paintings by Mone.
During the franco-prussian war, Mone took refuge in England, where he admired the works of John Constable and Joseph Corner, whose landscapes inspired him. Travelled to Amsterdam, in 1871 returned to France. His wife died in 1879 of tuberculosis at the age of 32, which was blow for the artist, who resolved never to live in poverty again.
After that he painted some of his best paintings, including “Corner of the garden at Montgeron” and “A pond at Montgeron” were commissioned by a wealth-departed stock owner and patron of the arts Hoschede, in whose house the Mone temporarily lived. After the death of Camill (his wife), Elis Hoshede helped Mone to raise his two sons. This two paintings are from a series of 11 paintings Mone painted for his friend’s home, when Hochede became bankrupt, his collection was sold, those two were purchased by opera singer, then – by Ivan Morosov in 1907.
In 1883 Elis and all the children moved to a house in Jiverni (in Normandy), where the artist planted a large garden, where he painted for much of the rest of his life. “Hay-stock in Jiverni”. Following the death of her estrange husband Elis married Clod Mone in 1892. In Jiverni Mone and his large family rented a house from a local land-owner. A barn, turned in a painting studio. The house was close enough to local schools, surrounding landscapes for Mone’s works. Poll Duran Ruel became increasingly successful in selling his painting, in 1890 Mone become prosperous enough to buy a house. Starting from that time and till the end of his life, he worked on series paintings, in which the subjects were depicted in varying light and weather conditions. First exhibited series – the hay-stocks (about 50).
Elis died in 1911, his oldest son died in 1914. During that time, Mone began to develop the signs of cataract. He died at the age of 26 of lung cancer, buried in Jiverni.
His painting from the water-lily series was sold in June 2008 – 71 mln dollars. One of the most expensive artists, represent one of the 20 top highest prizes paid for a paintings.
“My favorite painting”
Ouqust Rodin. 1840-1917. The first French well-famous sculptor since the 17th century. Impressionism was both in painting and sculpture. Rodin transformed European sculpture, at the same time as Mone transformed painting. Yet he took his own way. Rodin’s work is well represented at the H. The earliest – plaster modal of his famous “Bronze age” statue. The artist worked on this sculpture for 18 month – working with a armature modal Belgian soldier, who impressed the artist with his physique. Strong influence of Michelangelo “Dying slave” – a common feature such as – the position and close eyes. Was first displaced in Brussels in 1877 under a different name with a spear in the left hand – the author presented with work as a monument to Belgian soldiers.
Before this work was first displayed in France, the artist saw a new meaning in this piece – the moment of awakening and growing self-awareness. He removed the spear and called his work “The Bronze Age”. When the statue – the critics accused Rodin of taken a cast of the modal’s body.
His later works at the H collection are all associated with Rodin’s greatest work – “The gate of Hell”. In 1818 Rodin received an order to design a sculptural portal for a new museum of decorative art in Paris. The artist failed to catch a dead-line, but continued working, the first bronze cast was make after the death of the artist. Inspired by the gates Baptisteria in Florence, Dante etc. In H – “The siner”. It was presented to the H from Rodin’s museum in Paris after an international exhibition of his works in 1968. “Eternal spring” – represents the idea of passion. We have author’s copy of an earlier work.
Rodin never started by statues of bronze – he would always start with a wax of clay modals. Similarities to Michelangelo’s work. He was also interested in watching an image grow out of a slab of marble. He created a king of a gauze around his statues. Admirer of women, his life-ling partner was Rosa Burre – he married at the and of his life, often use as his modal. He had a relationship with his student Camilla, became an assistance in 1885, soon became lovers. After they separated, Camilla contracted a mental disease and died in a mental hospital in 1943.
Sesann. 11 works at the H. 1839-1906 – difference genres – portraits, landscapes, still-lives. One of the best representatives of post-impressionism. Born in Provans in a well-to-do family. In early years started law at the University, later decided to dedicate himself to art, father survived his son’s choice and provided a rent/ which allowed to artist to live comfortable. Shortly after that he moved to Paris, where he befriended Pissarro, Renoir, Mone and Sisley. Participated in the first impressionist exhibition (1874). His works met cold welcome at the public, he left the group, after which the artist retired to Provans. After his father’s death settled in Provans, hardly ever leaving his native town.
About 800 paintings, not count the water-colors. The artist destroyed many works himself, if he was unhappy with them. Strong influence by impressionism, strongly influence in the beginning of his career – although his ideas of imp, he never attempted to repeat changing images, wasn’t interested in moving. He set a task to convert imp into smth solid and lasting. Good example – “Still-life with a curtain”. The artist tried to convey stability, investigate initial simple components of things, even the air in his paintings is palpable.
He was one of rear artist, who paid such enormous attention to ordinary objects. He wanted to depict the true shapes (cone, cylinder and globe), hidden by passing impressions. Was influenced by Pussen. His portraits also look like sculptures. “The smoker” 1890 and “Woman in blue” 1899 – look frozen. He portrayed ordinary people. “Mount st Victoria” – painted very many times, trying to convey the stability of nature in the best possible way. Because of this paintings we can say Sesann is one of the greatest landscape masters in the world.
Between 1895-1900 Sesann painted some of his neighbors, peasants, workers, humble ordinary people, who attracted the artist by their simplicity. He avoided picturesque details, modals always take simple positions – at the table, smoking or playing cards.
Vincent Van Gogh. 1853-1890. Dutch impressionist painted, whose work notable for its rough beauty, emotional honesty and bold color, had a great influence on the 20-century art. Died at the age of 37 from a gun-shot wound, generally accepted to be self-inflicted, although now gun was ever found. He loved art from an early age. He began to draw as a child, continued making drawings through the years, but didn’t begin painting until his late 20th. Completing many of his best works during his last two years. In just over a decade he produced more than 2100 artworks: 850 oil paintings, other are water and others. Self-portraits, landscapes, still-lived with flowers.
He spent his early adulthood working for a further dealers, after which he taught for a time in England. One of his early inspirations was to became a missionary and from 1879 he worked as a missionary in Belgium, where he began sketching local people. In 1886 moved to Paris, where he discovered the French impressionists and went to life in the south, taken by the strong sunlight. He developed the unique and highly recognizable style, that became fully realized his stay in Arl in 1888.
When he moved to Arl, he was ill from drink and suffered from smoking. First the city appeared exotic and filthy. He works from that period are richly draped in yellow and ultramarine. The vibrant life in Arl exited him, he decided to rent a wing of the Yellow House, where the rooms were unfurnished and inhibited. Before this house wasn’t furnish, he used it as a studio.
When Gauguin arrived to visit him, Van Gogh hoped for friendship and his uropian idea of collection of arts. While waiting – drown flowers. Gauguin arrived after the 2 request in 1889, before November their two painted together. Already in December the relationships began to deteriorated – Gauguin was arrogant and domineering, the quarrel furiously over art. In December Van Gogh attacked Gauguin with shaver. Van Gogh often visited postitued. While there he cut his ear and sent it to the prostitute. Gauguin found him in his house with his head covered with blood. Spent in a hospital in Sen-Remi (2 kilometers from Arl) in the area of olive-trees. The clinic and his garden became the main subjects of paintings. Limited access to the works outside of clinic, he worked on interpretations of other artists’ paintings and on variations of his own earlier work.
In 1890 he left a clinic to move to his physician Gouche. Van Gogh was impression – “he was sicker than I am”. Painted his several portraits. On the 27 of July shot himself on the chest with revolver. Was attended by two physicians, they weren’t able to remove the bullet, rested him to smoke his pipe. He died after 29 hours because of infection.
“At Arl”, “Sur-Lois” – the artist used color not the create an optical illusion of reality, but to express his emotional state. Developed own style, after impressionists – developed a new unique style, which he practice whole life. His main means of the expression was no shape, but color. He always was very careful choosing colors.
Paul Gauguin. 1848-1903. A leading post-impressionist artist – an important figure in the symbolist movement. His bold experimentation with coloring paid the way to primitivism and return to the pastoral. Born in France, at the age of 1 left with family for Peru, motivated by the political climate of the region – his mother was half-perunian. His father died on the voyage, leaving his son, wife and sister to look after themselves. They lived for 4 years in Lima, where Gauguin saw inker-pots. At the age of 7 returned with his family in France, where his lived with his grandfather. The boy soon learned French. But his first and favorite language was Spanish. Attend catholic school, was a sailor, stayed there for two years. Mother’s rich boyfriend gave him a job at the stock-exchange, he was a successful Parisian businessman. 1873 – married a Danish women Mette Sofi, they have 5 children. By 1882 he moved to Copenhage, where he presume a carrier as a tapeline-seller, which wasn’t successful. His wife became chief breadwinner. After 11 years his family fell apart, the artist wanted to paint all time. His family asked him to leave, because he renounced their values. His last physical contact with his family – 1891. Just like his friends he suffered from depression, attempt a suicide, traveled to Martinic. Worked as a constructor of Panama canal. 1891 – he went to Polynesia – “from everything artificial and conventional”. Wrote a book titled “Noa-noa”, describing his experience of Tahiti. The modern critics believe, that the contest of the book was fantasized and plagiarized. He left France for good in 1895, spent time mostly in Tahiti, where he allegedly had sexual affairs with young native girls, some of whom appeared subjects of his paintings.
In French Polynesia he got in legal trouble for taken the native sight against the French – he was charged the libel against the governor, sentenced to 3 month in prison. Before he could start his prison sentence, he died on an overdose of morphine – possibly the heart attack.
The H was 15 works, mostly created at Tahiti – “Woman holding a fruit” (a portrait of his native wife). In his paintings he attempted comparing purity of nature with European bourgeois civilization. He tried to depict life and atmosphere in Tahiti in keeping with his ideas. Thought the colors of his paintings are often strange and unnatural, the paintings are the harmony and tranquility. Sometimes he painted native people in European cloths to show how unnatural it looks.
Hanri Matisse 1869-1954. We have only his early works. A French artist known for his use of color. Was also a sculptor, primarily known as a painter. Together with Picasso and Marsel Du Shamb, Matisse is responsible for significant developments in painting of 20th century. He was labeled «a wild beast», but by 1920th he was already regarded as the upholder of the classical tradition of the French painting. The H – over 40 painting, several bronze sculptures, masterpieces – “the Red Room”, “Conversation”, “Dance”, “Music”, “The Family portrait”.
In 1887 he came to Paris to study law, started to paint two years after. After first paintings he “discovered a king of paradise” and decided to become an artist. He started with painting still-lives and landscapes in traditional style. Early painting – “Blue pot and lemon”, “Days of sunflowers”. In 1904 he had his first exhibition, but without much success. In 1904 he spent his summer in St Trope, where he painted tie most important wroks in neo-impressionist style. Travelled with Diren to Caleur. This period – flat shapes (“view of Colliur”).
In 1905 he with group of artists exhibited together. Their paintings expressed emotion with wild colors, without regard for the subjects’ natural color. Art-critic described the work with a phrase – “Donatello among the wild beasts” (fauves). Though the exhibition was criticized a lot, the specialists hated painting was bought by Gertruda Shtail. He is recognized as the leader of the fauves along with Dirren. Though the movement decline after 1906, it didn’t affect the rise of Matisse – many of his best works were created between 1906 and 1917.
During that period he was the part of the group of artists at Mont-Parnas, even though he didn’t quite fir in with his conservatism and strict bourgeois manners. Than he travelled to Morocco, saw a large exhibition of Islamic art, then the painting “Arab coffee-house” appeared. He had association with Russian art-collector Сергей Щукин, for whom he created “Dance”, “Music” etc.
On first entering a hole with the “Red room”, “Dance” and “Music”, the viewer is often be wielded and peasant. The expressiveness of this works is almost frightening. “The Red Room” 1909. The artist changed this painting several times, the original name was “A harmony in blue”, that painting was sold to Щукин as a decoration for his dining room. The artist negotiated with the owner to keep the painting longer and finally sent it to Russia in 1909 as “The Red Room”.
“Music” and “Dance” – each almost 4 meters wide, both intended for the staircase of Tshukin’s mansion on Moscow. Dance was to be displaced at the first floor, to invite the visitor to climb the stairs, while the second painting, which is calm – to be associated with the silence inside the house. Both is connected with his earlier work “Joy of life” (1905-1906).
The “Dance” dosn’t depict any particularly dance, though the artist was reported studying ancient vases and watching performance of sirtaki. Everything is dancing in this painting – the sky, the grass. The “Music” - same colors but different composition – the artist generates an absolutely different ideas – the sitting characters resembling notes. Both paintings looked so unusual in 1910, than even Щукин became uncertain and only in 1912 finally displayed them in his house.
Pablo Picasso. 1881-1973. The H contains mostly early works over 30 paintings. All the exhibits – from the Щукин collection, who met Picasso in 1908 and bought his paintings regularly until 1914. Spanish painter, sculptor, one of the most influential artist of the 20 century. Co-founder of the cubist movement, inventor of the collage, explode and developed a large variety of styles. «Авиньонские девы», «Генрика».
Painted in a realistic manner in his early years. Suring the first decade of the 20th century, his style changed as he experimented with different techniques and ideas. Born in the city of Malaga in Andalusia – father was a painter specialized in the pictures of birds. From the age of 7 he received formal artistic training from his father. After his 7-old sister died from дефтерия the family moved to Barselona, where his father took a position at the school of fine arts and persuaded the officials to aloud his son to take the exams for the high class – he was admitted to the Academy at the age of 13.
Later they decided to sent him to Madrid to the art-school, at the age of 16 he started living on his own. Picasso liked the city, but hated formal instruction and quit attending classes soon. In 1900 he first came to Paris, where he lived in poverty, cold and desperation – burnt his works his works to keep the room warm.
From that early years we have “Absent drinker” – lowliness, “The sisters” (The meating), “Portrait of Salero”. The color scheme and the drawing of that period is somehow reminiscent to El Greco.
1905 – became the favorite of american’s collectors – Leo and Gertruda Shtail. She became his patron. Acquiring his works and exhibiting it at her house. At one of her gatherings Picasso met Matisse, who became his life-long friend and rival. “Sisters” – typical for his blue period, the artist often painted beggars, cripples, homeless.
Next period – 1907-1914 – well-represented at the H, the beginning of cubist period, marked by such paintings as “The farmer”. The key to understanding Picasso’s work from that period – a sentence by Sezanne about shapes. “Three women”, “A woman with a fan” – where the artist offers his own interpretation of classical art, also drawing inspiration from native African and prehistoric art.
The subjects of his paintings can often be seen in paintings of old masters. “Three women” – Три грации. «Женщина с веером», «Танец с покрывалом» - испанцы. Picasso created a new world without harmony, where the traditional connections get broken.
Picasso’s later periods are represented by the portraits.