Figure 1.--

Art and the visual representations it provides plays a very imprtant role in understanding history. The Romans reached a very important levels of sophistication. Relatively little of it survived. And aftr the fall of the Western Empire and the collapse of civilization, the technical capabilities were lost for centuries. As a result, French art for much of the medieval era offers only unsophisticated glimses into culture and society. We see llustrations, often without ant attribution as to the artist. Only with the advent of the Renaisance do we begin to see refined artistic images. Here wer have two groups of artists. Ten Renaisance occurred during the late-medieval period. Contemprarty artists that painted during the period. These may not be the most refinned artists, but had the advantage of painting what they actually saw. The other group are historical artists, mostly beginning in the 19th century. They attempted to create historical scenes. This of course does not have the same historical value as contemporary artists.

Illustrations

Renaisance Artists

François Clouet (France, 1515-72)

François Clouet was born in Tours (1515). He became the most important French court painter during the 16th century. His father was Jean Clouet, also a painter. His father's byname was Janet which his son François also used, causing some confusion. François was working in his father's studio (as early as 1536) and replaced him as official painter to Francis I (1536). He continued as official painter for Henry II, Francis II, and Charles IX. This enabled him to establish a substantial workshop including miniaturists, enamel designers, and decorators to execute his many varied projects. Father and son did far more than produce portraits. Françoiss painted genre and theatrical scene. In addiion to art works. François oversaw the decorations of court funeral ceremonies and triumphal entries of the French kings. Some 50 paintings and drawings have been attributed to him, but there are also many works attributed to his workshop. François Clouet has been described as a 'typical Renaissance painter'. He was higly respected at the time, but art expert describe his father's work as more 'profound'. He is of considerable historical imptance, given that he painted for four French kings at a time that France was one oif the geat Euopean powers.

(Le) Bain (17th century)

Le Nain (the Dwarf) is the name used by three French brothers: Antoine (about 1588-1648), Louis (about 1593-1648) and Mathieu (about 1607-77). They began working in Paris during 1629. The brothers became members of the l'AcadémieRoyale of painting and sculpture. This was the year the Academy was founded and the tear that Antoine and Louis died. They form part along with [? Georges de la Tour] of the realist artists, strongly influenced by reality "clair-obscur" of Caravage. The brothers formed an association and signed without their first (Christian) which makes it rather difficultto attribute their works to one of the three brothers.

Abraham Bosse (French, 1602-72)

Bosse is the most noted French engraver of the 17th century. His body of work is astonishing, more than 1,500 prints, mostly genre pieces. They offer wonderful glimpses into 17th century life. Many children are depicted in the family scenes providing a great deal of detail on the clothinbg of 17th century French children. Quite a number of his prints are Biblical pieces, but Bosse has depicted them in contemprary 17th cenbtury dress. Bosse was a noted figure in the French artistic community. He was a leading figure at the Académie Royale beginning with its foundation in 1648. Bosse taught perspective. He was eventually expelled in a controversy with Le Brun in 1661. He wrote many books on engraving, painting, perspective, and architecture. He painted a few pieces, but is primarily known for his engravings.

Charles Le Brun (France, 1619-90)

Charles Le Brun was the dominate force in the decorattive arts during the Long reign of King Louis XIV. Le Brun is certainly an important artist, however, he is not a great artist. He dictated art stnandards and conventions to the rein of Louis XIV. Le Brun studied art in Italy. After returning to Paris he establish a reputation as a leading artist and he was raised to the nobility in 1662 and given the title of "Premier Peintre du roi". He was appointed director of the Gobelins factory in 1663. More importantly for French art, he was also appointed the director of the reorganized Acad�mie. Le Brun proceeded in making the Acad�mie an instrument for imposing his views and judgements onto French artists. He codified a system of art and discouraged innovation and experiment. Le Brun is one opf the reasons that French art in the 17th century compares adversely to that of neighboring countries. One portrait is of special interest to HBC as it shows King Louis XIV and the pages of the royal court.

Historical Artits

Pierre-Charles Comte (France (1823–95)

Pierre-Charles Comte was a French painter best known for his meticulous history and genre paintings, often capturing dramatic or intimate moments from the past. He was born in Lyon (1823). He studied at the École des beaux-arts de Lyon (1840-42), a pupil of Claude Bonnefond and later at the studio of Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury in Paris. He exhibited at the Salon in Paris (1848-87), and in Lyon. He then settled in Fontainebleau. His depictions of medieval scenes seem plausible, but are the same as being painted at the time. Comte became known for his grand history paintings, mostly medieval scenes. He focused on the Valois dynasty. Some of his most impressive however, are not the historical scenes, but the private interim scenes. Some are not historical scenes, but more like medieval fairy tales. We see see suggestive scenes that seem more inspired by the novels and plays of the day--clandestine meetings that carried both risk and thrill. We see, however, very few images of children. Here is a rare example of a child (figure 1). He painted some contemporary 19th century genre scenes, but not very many. In the final decades of his career, he changed his style by adopting 'modern' meaning impressionist technique. He also did some sculptures late in life.

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Created: 6:10 AM 8/13/2017
Last updated: 3:36 PM 3/15/2026