madame recamier - jacques-louis david

Madame Recamier1800 : 

Madame Recamier1800 A natural beauty or an earthly woman? By Jacques-Louis David (1748-1835) at the Museé du Lourve, Paris Jerry Tse, July 2005. London. Version 1.0 All rights reserved. Available free for non-commercial and non-profit use only.

Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) & Neoclassicism : 

Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825) & Neoclassicism David is the most important Neo-Classicist painter. Neoclassicism was a movement which attempts to recreate the art of ancient the Greeks and Romans. The portrait of the Artist. 1794. Oil on Canvas. 81x64 cm. Jacques-Louis David. Musee du Louvre, Paris To achieve this, Neoclassicists imitated antique art both in style and subject matter. For David, this meant using classical poses or paintings set in a Greek or Roman context. His style was technically commanding but at times austere or academic. David adopted a highly theoretical and intellectual approach, leading to the use of formal and theatrical gestures. Many of his works are painted on large canvas. His art became official art of the French Revolution and of the Napoleonic Empire. Like his contemporary cartoonist, Daumier, he was closely involved in revolutionary politics. He was one of the first painters of propaganda, introducing politics into paintings. His politics nearly led him to the guillotine. He was a contemporary of Francisco Goya. He died in Brussels at the age 77.

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Well-known paintings by David Top Right – The intervention of the Sabine Women. 1799. Louvre. Note the formal and theatrical poses of the figures, like static cut-outs.

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Well-known paintings by David Top Right – The intervention of the Sabine Women. 1799. Louvre. Note the formal and theatrical poses of the figures, like static cut-outs. Below – Death of Marat. 1793. Musees Royaux des Beaux-Art de Belgigue, Bruxelles. This is David’s most famous painting. Marat, a leader of the French revolution and a friend of David was killed by his Royalist rival. David painted Marat’s limp arm by the bath, a similar pose to Michelangelo’s Pieta (Left), in St Peter’s Basilica, Rome.

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Well-known paintings by David Bottom Right – On large canvas. Napoleon I and the Coronation of Empress Josephine. 1807. 6.2x9.8m. Lourve. This was an official Napoleonic painting. Top Right – The intervention of the Sabine Women. 1799. Louvre. Note the formal and theatrical poses of the figures, like static cut-outs. Below – Death of Marat. 1793. Musees Royaux des Beaux-Art de Belgigue, Bruxelles. This is David’s most famous painting. Marat, a leader of the French revolution and a friend of David was killed by his Royalist rival. David painted Marat’s limp arm by the bath, a similar pose to Michelangelo’s Pieta (Left), in St Peter’s Basilica, Rome.

Madame Recamier (1777-1848) : 

Madame Recamier (1777-1848) On the right is a painting of Madame Recamier by an unknown artist (at least to me). Madame Recamier married a wealthy banker at the tender age of 15 and kept her virginity into middle age. David painted her portrait when she was 23 (see next slide). Her natural beauty was enhanced by a simple dress and a hair band. David’s portrait was unfinished due to a disagreement between the artist and the subject. The background of the painting is bare contrasting with David’s more polished works. David painted the charming young maiden with grace and elegance,* as though she had just turned to look at us who had entered the room. She is painted with brown hair instead of her darker natural colour, to suit the colour scheme. Born in Lyon, Julie-Adelaide Bernard, daughter of a banker, married Jacques Recamier, who was three times her own age. She had many admirers and her salon was frequently visited by distinguished artists, writers and politicians. No scandals were ever reported. Bearing in mind our concepts of grace and elegance have changed with time. Note. I cannot find the painter who painted the above portrait of Madame Recamier.

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Gerard’s Madame Recamier. Madame Recamier. 1802. 255x145cm. Francois Gerard. French. Musee Carnavalet, Paris. This painting was painted by Francois-Pascal Gerard, a former pupil of David, two years later. Gerard was asked to paint her. He was the most successful society portrait artist of the day. Hearing this news, David left his painting unfinished. Comparing the three portraits, it appears that Gerard has achieved a better likeness than David. Given David was such a good painter, it is possible he was trying to give her a more elegant look. Two of the portraits show her with black hair, a seductive look, a low cut dress and bare shoulders. Gerard gave his painting a rosy tint, a gentle smile and a more youthful look. At the time, this was considered to be flattering.

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Gerard’s Madame Recamier. Madame Recamier. 1802. 255x145cm. Francois Gerard. French. Musee Carnavalet, Paris. This painting was painted by Francois-Pascal Gerard, a former pupil of David, two years later. Gerard was asked to paint her. He was the most successful society portrait artist of the day. Hearing this news, David left his painting unfinished. Comparing the three portraits, it appears that Gerard has achieved a better likeness than David. Given David was such a good painter, it is possible he was trying to give her a more elegant look. Two of the portraits show her with black hair, a seductive look, a low cut dress and bare shoulders. Gerard gave his painting a rosy tint, a gentle smile and a more youthful look. At the time, this was considered to be flattering. Which painting do your prefer? My vote goes to David.

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A Final look at Madame Recamier. Both paintings are fairly large but of similar size. With my modern eyes, I would describe Madame Recamier in David’s painting, as charming, natural, graceful and elegant yet a little distant. I find her bare feet attractively painted. Her hair is more natural but a little unkempt. On the other hand, in Gerard’s painting, I find her lovely, simple, pretty and flirtatious. In contrast, her hair in the painting is neat.

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A Final look at Madame Recamier. Do you see her differently? How would you describe her in the two paintings? Both paintings are fairly large but of similar size. With my modern eyes, I would describe Madame Recamier in David’s painting, as charming, natural, graceful and elegant yet a little distant. I find her bare feet attractively painted. Her hair is more natural but a little unkempt. On the other hand, in Gerard’s painting, I find her lovely, simple, pretty and flirtatious. In contrast, her hair in the painting is neat.

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Magrette’s Madame Recamier. However, David’s painting is the more influential one. The piece of furniture is now known as a Recamier couch. Rene Magrette, the Surrealist painter, made a series of paintings based on 19th Century French artists, substituting coffins for figures. The graceful and charming beauty of Madame Recamier is no long there but replaced by a cold and emotionless coffin. Magrette painted a piece of clothing left behind, giving us a hint of her previous existence. Perspective :Madame Recamier by David. 1951. Oil on canvas. 60.5x80.5 cm. Rene Margritte. French. National Gallery of Canada. Ottawa.