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Introduction to the life of French painter Boucher

Francois Boucher (1703-1770), French painter, printmaker and designer, was a painter who brought the Rococo style to the extreme. He used to be the president of the French Academy of Fine Arts and the chief painter of the royal family. Published the album “Various Poses and Different Expressions”.

Personal life

Born in Paris, his father was a pattern painter. Educated by his father since he was a boy, he is an extremely precocious person. At the age of 20, he won the first prize of the art academy exhibition.

Later, after studying in Italy for more than four years, his skills became more and more advanced; after returning to Paris, his reputation soared, and he was even received by the ladies’ salons.

By the way, the salons of the ladies of the Louis dynasty were gathering places for famous scholars, statesmen, poets, musicians, painters, etc., and it was a supreme honor to be received there. Because of this relationship, Boucher began to meet people from all walks of life. He painted both opera house sets and fabric patterns for wall hangings.

Therefore, soon his talent was appreciated by Madame de Pompadour, the lover of Louis XV, who painted several portraits of her. Madame de Pompadour was the first beauty of the Louis dynasty, and she was a talented woman. Boucher also designed women’s clothing and accessories for this luxurious and indulgent beauty, and the patterns designed by Boucher became a model for the ladies who came to and from the court at that time.

It can be seen from this that Boucher has rich decorative skills and talents, and his paintings also have decorative elements, which can be understood by watching “The Eye of Love” and “Pastoral Songs”; however, all his works are in a cold silver tone. , although noble and elegant, but it does not make people feel intimacy. For example, the nudes of Diana and her maid in “The Water Bath of the Moon Goddess” are round and smooth, but it is a pity for the lack of warm feeling. Maybe the aristocratic arrogant people of that time liked it.

Chinese painting

The four oil paintings “Chinese Emperor’s Court”, “Chinese Fishing Scenery”, “Chinese Garden” and “Chinese Market” were painted by Boucher, the representative of French Rococo painting at that time.

There are a lot of realistic Chinese objects on the picture, such as Chinese blue and white porcelain, flower baskets, group fans, Chinese umbrellas, etc. The costumes of the figures in the painting are very similar to the Han-style costumes before the Qing Dynasty, which is far from the Manchu-style costumes of the Qing Dynasty at that time. , Chinese characteristics are very prominent. The nobles rushed to acquire these paintings, and when they could not buy them, they snapped up the tapestries woven from wool and silk based on these four paintings.

Boucher has never been to China, and some of the images in the paintings are factual, while others are purely imaginary. What is puzzling is that since the artist has never been to China and wants to paint China, he must have some evidence. , Where does the image in the painting come from? It is said that this may be related to the frequent business activities of the East India Company at that time. The company brought abundant commodities from the East to Europe, and Boucher could easily buy Chinese goods in Paris.

However, in order to compose a picture that conforms to the oriental mood, it is not enough to have some Chinese objects. It also needs a picture concept that conforms to the real situation, which cannot be imagined out of thin air.

The pictures of China known to the missionaries who have been to China were only known after Boucher finished painting the Chinese group. It seems that Boucher’s knowledge of Chinese images did not come from missionaries, and this mystery is not easily solved by empirical methods. But if Boucher’s Chinese paintings are placed in the context of the entire 18th-century European society’s obsession with “Chinese style”, it is not surprising that Boucher’s works.

Art Achievement

François Boucher, the darling of Rococo art, was born in Paris and studied under the painter Le Moinet at the age of 17. He admired Watteau very much. He once engraved Watteau’s sketches into prints and published the album “Various Poses and Different Expressions”.

Boucher yearned for Italy, the holy land of art, and went to study at his own expense, but he was arrogant and looked down on the artistic achievements of the Renaissance masters. .” He was only interested in the art of the idyll of the seventeenth century. When he walked into the palace, he found that noble men and women did not like God, but preferred love stories in Greek mythology.

So Boucher tried his best to cater to them, and took the trouble to paint Mars flirting with Venus, the god of war, the embrace of Hercules and Honphale, the goddess bathing, beauty makeup and other themes. This kind of love story and the nudes of fair-skinned and pink women are depicted delicately, with images like gods and human beings, and the human body is harmonious and well-proportioned. He got the title of academician of the Academy of Fine Arts and was promoted to professor.