[PDF] 15th 18the Century French Drawings In The Metropolitan Museum Of Art eBook

Author : Joseph Baillio
Publisher : Metropolitan Museum of Art
Page : 292 pages
File Size : 40,7 MB
Release : 2016-02-15
Category : History
ISBN : 1588395812

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Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755–1842) was one of the finest eighteenth-century french painters and among the most important women artists of all time. Celebrated for her expressive portraits of French royalty and aristocracy, and especially of her patron Marie Antoinette, Vigée Le Brun exemplified success and resourcefulness in an age when women were rarely allowed either. Because of her close association with the queen Vigée Le Brun was forced to flee France during the French Revolution. For twelve years she traveled throughout Europe, painting noble sitters in the courts of Naples, Russia, Austria, and Prussia. She returned to France in 1802, under the reign of Emperor Napoleon I, where her creativity continued unabated. This handsome volume details Vigée Le Brun's story, portraying a talented artist who nimbly negotiated a shifting political and geographic landscape. Essays by international scholars address the ease with which this self-taught artist worked with monarchs, the nobility, court officials and luminaries of arts and letters, many of whom attended her famous salons. The position of women artists in Europe and at the Salons of the period is also explored, as are the challenges faced by Vigée Le Brun during her exile. The ninety paintings and pastels included in this volume attest to Vigée Le Brun's superb sense of color and expression. They include exquisite depictions of counts and countesses, princes and princesses alongside mothers and children, including the artist herself and her beloved daughter, Julie. A chronology of the life of Vigée Le Brun and a map of her travels accompany the text, elucidating the peregrinations of this remarkable, independent painter.

Author : Perrin Stein
Publisher : Metropolitan Museum of Art
Page : 326 pages
File Size : 23,57 MB
Release : 2016
Category : Art
ISBN : 1588396010

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One of the most forward-looking artists of the eighteenth century, Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806) was a virtuoso draftsman whose works on paper count among the great achievements of his time. This book showcases Fragonard's mastery and experimentation in a range of media, from vivid red chalk to luminous brown wash, as well as etching, watercolor, and gouache. With essays that focus on the role of drawing in his creative process and provide a modern reevaluation of his graphic work, the book offers fresh perspectives on this innovative and independent artist, who began his career in the Rococo era but lived through and adapted to changing times in France, and who chose to leave the more defined path of official patronage in order to work for private clients. Unlike many earlier painters who used drawings primarily as preparatory tools, Fragonard explored their potential as works of art in their own right, ones that permitted him to work with great freedom and allowed his genius to shine. The 100 featured works come from New York collections, public and private, balancing a mix of well-loved masterpieces, new discoveries, and works that have long been out of the public eye. Fragonard: Drawing Triumphant illuminates the approach of a ceaselessly inventive artist whose draftsmanship was at the core of his remarkable body of work.