Temporary Exhibitions
Art transcends the moment; it expands space with the entirety of time, with the full understanding of humanity, with the entire duration and expanse of the universe. It captures eternity in motion within its momentary form.
This exhibition features works by several artists, representatives of the French school, which form part of the museum's heritage and date back to the 17th–19th centuries. The selection includes over 50 works of painting and graphic art.
The exhibited works allow us to trace, in a more or less complete chronological order, the evolution of French painting and engraving, beginning with the late Baroque period. At the start of the 17th century, the formation of the French state and nation was completed. The development of a national style in the visual arts during this period occurred in a complex context: on one hand, Caravaggism ideas were entering from Italy, while on the other, the influence of Flemish art was felt. By the 1660s, with the coronation of Louis XIV, a new phase in the development of French culture and art began. From that moment, the fate of French art and the French monarchy became inseparable. Art academies were established, controlling the entire artistic life of France and aligning it with the ideals of absolutism (Unidentified artists, Equestrian Portrait, Flowers in Vases; Jacques Courtois, known as Bourguignon, Battle Scenes).
At a time when the artistic life of other major European art centers entered a period of crisis, losing their originality, France became the undisputed leading artistic power. The beginning of the Regency under Philippe d'Orléans was marked by an atmosphere of frivolity, luxury, and a thirst for pleasure at court. Freed from the pomp of the Baroque, French Rococo became a symbol of the reign of Louis XV. Madame de Pompadour reigned at court, and with her came romantic adventures, gallant festivities, and new trends in art: light, capricious features characteristic of the Rococo style—a product of culture generated exclusively by the French aristocracy (Pierre Gobert, Portrait of the Daughter of Philippe d'Orléans). In easel painting with mythological themes, sensuality and beauty were glorified (Jean Baptiste Van Loo, Venus and Mars). All this was soon to change under the influence of new aesthetic visions, marking the approach of a new era. Everything reminiscent of the gallant age of Rococo was outlawed, and Neoclassicism took its place (Unidentified artist, School of Jean Honoré Fragonard, The Holy Family; Unidentified artist, Circle of Robert Hubert, Landscape with Ruins).
French art of the 19th century is characterized by the coexistence of five main styles: Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, and Post-Impressionism.
The early 19th century in France was dominated by Neoclassicism. The Neoclassical artist aimed not to evoke human emotions but to appeal to reason. The painter had to be a moralist, striving to create an ideal, uplifting world where everything was not as it is but as it should be. For their time, these views were filled with a noble belief in human reason, moral purity, and the power of art to perfect humanity (Benoît-Charles Mitoire, Portrait of a Man).
In the 1820s and 1830s, in contrast to the reactionary official Neoclassicism, a new style flourished in France—Romanticism. Early French Romanticism was characterized by individualism, historicism, and political undertones. Art faced a new, important task: to understand what was happening, to take a stance, and to find new forms of artistic expression (Unidentified artist, 19th century, Portrait of a Young Man with a Chain; Unidentified artist, 19th century, Battle).
Very soon, a new "battle" would begin in France—Realism. The Revolution of 1848 was met with enthusiasm by most of the creative intelligentsia. Peasants and workers, people from urban and rural settings, became frequent subjects in art by the mid-19th century (François Louis Lanfant de Metz, Children; Jean Louis Meissonier, Smoker; Eugène Henri Millet, Still Life).
By the mid-19th century, landscape painting began to play a significant role: the ability to view nature through the eyes of an ordinary person and the epic vision of nature represent the greatest merits of the artists of the Barbizon School (Jules Dupré, Rural Landscape).
The period from the 1860s to the 1890s saw the emergence of Impressionism—an artistic movement whose principles were based on capturing immediate impressions of a scene or object, focusing on the mobility of phenomena rather than their stable, conceptual aspects. Impressionism brought an interest in scenes of everyday life into painting.
During the same period, engravers followed a similar historical and artistic trajectory as painters, becoming deeply involved in the artistic life of France. With the recognition of engraving as a distinct artistic branch, engravers were increasingly present at court, serving as royal engravers.
Passed down through generations, theorized in specialized manuals, and recognized by the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1651, French engraving was officially elevated to the status of fine art. Later, in 1660, King Louis XIV issued an edict declaring engraving a distinct art form, separate from mechanical arts, and granted engravers the privileges enjoyed by other artists. Infinitely variable, governed by a superior aesthetic logic, and operating with confidence in the realm of technical solutions, French engraving held, at the start of the 17th century, the undeniable advantages of a generous inheritance from great artists of other European countries, such as Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, maintaining European primacy in this artistic field for a long time. Those who practiced it were often renowned painters who translated some of their own works into engravings, lending the prints a particular flavor and nobility of line (Nicolas Poussin, Charles Le Brun, Claude Lorrain, etc.). Another category consisted of professional engravers who translated original works by other artists into various engraving techniques (Michel Dorigny, Young Men Studying Drawing; Gérard Edelenic, The Holy Family; Jacques François Ragot, Saint Sebastian).
17th-century French engraving is closely linked to the work of Jacques Callot—the first French engraver of European significance. He developed the etching technique by introducing new methods that allowed for the refined rendering of details. He was one of the representatives of the third category—the "total" engravers, who composed their own works, created their own designs for engravings, and executed them themselves. These authors and executors fully embodied the act of creation (Jacques Callot, Man with a Hat in Hand; Robert Nanteuil, Portrait of Louis XIV; Bernard Picart, Perseus Freeing Andromeda, etc.).
The 18th century is considered one of the great epochs in the history of French engraving. At its beginning, the grandeur of the Baroque and the majesty of Classicism were replaced by the more intimate style of Rococo. The artistic genres addressed were as varied as the techniques used to create them: etching, engraving, mezzotint, aquatint, drypoint, and lithography—all of which reached perfection. During this time, mixed techniques of copper engraving also spread, executed with unprecedented virtuosity (François Boucher, Man with a Fur Hat; Nicolas Tardieu, Illustration for the Novel Don Quixote de La Mancha; Michel Aubert, Venus and Adonis, etc.).
Throughout the 19th century, engraving experienced a true explosion. Classical techniques such as etching and engraving gave way to lithography, which led to the broader popularization and accessibility of engraving (Paul Gavarni, Ways of Seeing Travelers; Achille Deveria, Heloise and Abelard; Pierre Auguste Renoir, Two Women Bathing).
By highlighting these works of French art, we aim to evoke the mastery of their creators, emphasizing the remarkable technical achievements they attained, as well as illustrating the defining characteristics of both painting and engraving at various stages of their historical evolution.
