Powerpoint lecture

1. The Royal Academies of Art

2. Henri Testelin, Colbert Presenting Members of the Royal Academy of Science to Louis XIV in 1667
In 1648 Louis XIV founded the French Royal Academy of Art (Académie Royale de
Peinture et de Sculpture), under the direction of Charles Le Brun, first painter to the king

3. Henri Testelin, Colbert Presenting Members of the Royal Academy of Science to Louis XIV in 1667
The purpose was to establish state control over the production of art, which the king
recognized as a valuable tool of state propaganda

4. Nicolas Langlois (1640-1703) Exposition des ouvrages de peinture et de sculpture
dans la galerie du Louvre en 1699
The first academy exhibitions were held in a “room” or “salon” of the Louvre, which later
became an annual event known as the “Salon”

5. Nicolas Langlois (1640-1703) Exposition des ouvrages de peinture et de sculpture
dans la galerie du Louvre en 1699
Works submitted to these state-sponsored exhibitions were juried to ensure that
Academic standards were enforced, and any work that did not meet official standards
was rejected

6. François Joseph Heim, Charles V Distributing Awards to Artists at the Close of the Salonof 1824, 1827
The annual salon exhibition continued well into the 19th century, and represented the
mainstream establishment values that the Realists and Impressionists would rebel
against

7. The English Royal Academy of Art was founded in London in 1768, and was modeled on
its French counterpart

8. Henry Singleton, The Royal Academicians in General Assembly, 1795
Royal Academy of Art Collections
These academies established “rules” that would have a long lasting influence on
European art for the next two centuries – especially rules governing the way artists were
trained

9. Life drawing class at Vassar, c. 1930
Today, art students are taught to draw from “direct observation,” as seen in this life
drawing class from Vassar College in the 1930s – but that is not how students at the
Academy Schools were taught

10. Samuel F.B. Morse, Gallery at the Louvre
Instead, students were trained to copy from plaster casts of classical sculptures and
Old Master paintings – as seen in this painting by Samuel Morse, which shows
students copying works of art in the Louvre

11. Samuel F.B. Morse, Gallery at the Louvre
In other words, they were taught to copy art, rather than nature

12. Angelica Kauffman, Design, 1778-1780
Royal Academy of Art Collection
The purpose of this method was to train students to internalize the
idealizing conventions of past masters, who themselves had learned by
studying Classical art

13. When students were allowed to work from the live model, they were trained to “improve”
upon nature by making the figures look like classical sculptures, as seen in this study by
Jaques Louis David,who was anaward winning student at the Ecole des Beaux Arts
Jacque Louis David, Patrocolus, 1780
Musée Thomas Henry, Cherbourg
Web Gallery of Art

14. Nature was considered to be too ugly for “fine art”
Jacque Louis David, Patrocolus, 1780
Musée Thomas Henry, Cherbourg
Web Gallery of Art

15. Charles Gleyre, Le
Coucher de Sappho,
1867
This tradition continued well into the 19th century, when Claude Monet was
training at the Academy. His teacher, Charles Gleyre (whose painting is
pictured here), made this comment about a drawing Monet was working
on in class:

16. Charles Gleyre, Le
Coucher de Sappho,
1867
“Not bad! Not bad at all, that thing here, but it is too much in the character of the mode
. . . All that is very ugly. I want you to remember, young man, that when one executes
figure, one should always think of the antique. Nature, my friend, is all right as an
element of study, but it offers no interest. Style, you see, style is everything.”

17. History
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Portraiture
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Genre
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Landscape
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Still Life
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The Hierarchy of Genres
The Academies also instituted a
“hierarchy of genres,” which
ranked subject matter according
to prestige

18. History
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Portraiture
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Genre
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Landscape
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Still Life
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The Hierarchy of Genres
History Painting ranked highest
because of its noble themes

19. History
$$$$$$
Portraiture
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Genre
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Landscape
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Still Life
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The Hierarchy of Genres
As the French painter Nicolas
Poussin explained:
“The first requirement, fundamental
to all others, is that the subject and
narrative be grandiose, such as
battles, heroic actions, and religious
themes.”

20. Charles Le Brun, Descent from the Cross, c. 1642-45
Victoria and Albert Museum
The category of History painting included religious subjects (which remained popular
Catholic France)

21. Charles Le Brun, Entry of Alexander into Babylon, 1664
And scenes from Classical History, such as this painting by Charles Le Brun depicting
Alexander the Great’s triumphant entry into Babylon

22. Charles Le Brun, The Deification of Aeneas, 1642-44
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Scenes from Classical mythology also fell into the category of History Painting

23. And scenes depicting the exploits of the king ranked equally with heroic stories from the
past
Charles Le Brun, Louis XIV Giving Orders of Attack in 1672, Galerie de Glaces,Versailles

24. Charles Le Brun, Louis XIV Arming Land and Sea, 1678-85
Galerie de Glaces, Versailles
This conveniently put the king at the same level as Jesus Christ, the Gods of Classical
mythology, and the great leaders of the ancient world

25. History
$$$$$$
Portraiture
$$$$$
Genre
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Landscape
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Still Life
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Portraiture ranked next on
the pyramid – the status of
the sitter being directly
proportional to the prestige
of the commission

26. History
$$$$$$
Portraiture
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Genre
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Landscape
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Still Life
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Genre scenes, landscape,
and still life ranked lowest
because they were
considered “common” and
“everyday,” rather than
grandiose or noble

27. The Hierarchy of Genres also governed size: History Paintings were generally large in
scale because of the importance of the subjects, while lesser subjects were smaller in
scale
Gallery of Battles, Versailles

28. This can be seen in this engraving of the Salon of 1787

29. The large paintings are all “history paintings,” while the smaller pictures are probably still
lifes and landscapes

30. As for the portraits, their size corresponds to the rank and wealth of the sitters!

31. History Painting was painted in what was called “the Grand Manner,” which consisted of
figures and poses based on the ideal types from classical statuary
Charles Le Brun, Louis XIV Giving Orders of Attack in 1672, Galerie de Glaces,Versailles

32. In this painting, the figure of Louis XIV is based on a famous Roman statue of the
Emperor Augustus
Charles Le Brun, Louis XIV Giving Orders of Attack in 1672, Galerie de Glaces,Versailles

33. The “grand manner” is a lot like opera: it is an idealized and heroic style based on
classical art

34. I like to describe the Grand Manner style as “heroic people, in heroic poses, doing heroic
things”
Charles Le Brun, Louis XIV Giving Orders of Attack in 1672, Galerie de Glaces,Versailles

35. Louis Le Nain, Peasant Interior, c. 1640
Realism, on the other hand, was reserved for common people, and scenes of
everyday life

36. History
$$$$$$
Portraiture
$$$$$
Genre
$$$$
Landscape
$$$
Still Life
$$
The Hierarchy of Genres
Heroic subjects; larger size;
Grand Manner style

37. History
$$$$$$
Portraiture
$$$$$
Genre
$$$$
Landscape
$$$
Still Life
$$
The Hierarchy of Genres
Heroic subjects; larger size;
Grand Manner style
Important people; size
determined by status

38. History
$$$$$$
Portraiture
$$$$$
Genre
$$$$
Landscape
$$$
Still Life
$$
The Hierarchy of Genres
Heroic subjects; larger size;
Grand Manner style
Important people; size
determined by status
Poor people and everyday life;
smaller scale, and realistic size

39. A famous debate emerged in the 17th century Academy about the merits of
color versus design

40. Angelica Kauffman, Design, 1778-1780
Royal Academy of Art Collection
Proponents of design argued that composition and design
appealed to the mind, and was therefore superior

41. Angelica Kauffman, Color, c. 1778-1780
Royal Academy of Art Collections
Color, they argued, was closer to “nature” than to “art,” and
appealed to the senses rather than the mind

42. Nicholas Poussin, Rape of the Sabine Women, 1633-34
Metropolitan Museum
Advocates of design championed the work of Nicholas Poussin, an austere and
intellectual painter who spent most of his professional career in Rome

43. Peter Paul Rubens, Rape of the Sabine Women, 1635-37
National Gallery
Proponents of color championed the work of Peter Paul Rubens, known for his
sensuous use of shimmering color

44. The debate between these two factions came to be known as the Rubenistes vs
the Poussinistes, and their rivalry was as fierce as the rivalry between political
parties today!

45. Nicholas Poussin, Rape of the Sabine Women, 1633-34
Metropolitan Museum
Poussin’s work was admired for its rationality and restraint; it appealed to the
mind rather than the senses

46. Nicholas Poussin, Rape of the Sabine Women, 1633-34
Metropolitan Museum
In spite of the violence of the subject matter, Poussin’s painting is restrained –
the colors are cool, rather than sensual, and the figure’s adopt poses that seem
rhetorical rather than natural

47. Nicholas Poussin, Rape of the Sabine Women, 1633-34
Metropolitan Museum
The composition imposes order over the chaos

48. It is similar to the way Le Notre imposed order on the gardens at Versailles

49. Peter Paul Rubens, Rape of the Sabine Women, 1635-37
National Gallery
Rubens was admired for his rich shimmering colors and dramatic compositions

50. Peter Paul Rubens, Rape of the Sabine Women, 1635-37
National Gallery
Rubens’ composition is explosive and dynamic, rather than rationally organized
and controlled

51. Peter Paul Rubens, Rape of the Sabine Women, 1635-37
National Gallery
And his colors are shimmering and sensuous, rather than cool and restrained

52. Peter Paul Rubens, Rape of the Sabine Women, 1635-37
National Gallery
And his colors are shimmering and sensuous, rather than cool and restrained

53. Jean-Honoré Fragonard
The Swing, 1766
Wallace Collection, London
With the emergence of Rococo painting in the 18th century, the
Rubenistes won the day

54. Eugene Delacroix, Self Portrait, 1837J.A.D. Ingres Self Portrait, 1804
But the debate over color and design will re-emerge in the 19th
century in the rivalry between Neoclassicism and Romanticism