Francois Boucher, Madame Pompadour



  Today many viewers may quickly disregard this portrait because of its opulence and decorative quality, but I suggest we look close and let me show you a couple of interesting things.  
   Madame Pompadour was the mistress of King Louis XV of France and used her position to become a powerful influence in French life.  She has been quoted as saying that every day she wanted to make the world a more beautiful place, and one critic has called this oil painting a visual biography of her interests, because of its many symbols.   
   Francois Boucher (1703-1770) created this portrait of his patroness in 1756.   Boucher was the ideal for the French Rococo style which is easy to dismiss today, but he was a highly skilled painter and etcher.  So looking closely at this work, do you see anything unusual? Look at her delicate little feet, and hands.  Take the distance from the top of her head to the bottom of her chin....now figure how many heads could be placed from the bottom of her chin to her waist. Do you see how elongated her torso is? Further examination continues this stretching down to her feet.  Boucher has painted her as if she was a very, very tall woman, but her small head, hands and feet indicate she was probably pretty small.   
   Here the yards and yards of beautiful silk fabric and grand setting display her prestige in court life.  Pompadour supported Boucher so it was essential to please her and he was very skillful at creating a likeness. Looking at Boucher's drawings and etching displays his knowledge of the female figure, so this distortion was intentional.  It was all about making her look as regal as possible.  
   Madame Pompdour is 83.4 x 64.5 inches.  It is part of the permanent collection of the Alte Pinakothek Museum, Munich Germany.  
   Make Art a part of your life, it's a beautiful thing to do.
      

Comments

  1. Char HarguthAugust 4, 2020 at 8:50 AM

    This extravagance eludes me, but what a skillful artist. The porcelain skin tones are unbelievable. I notice in other paintings he often makes the faces child-like and extends his intentional distortion to their tiny waistlines!! I wonder if being the son of a lace designer, influenced his use of such beautiful rich fabrics and textures. His symbols here suggest an intelligent woman. Her face certainly stands out from the darker background. The lighting is carefully directed. Gold on both sides, along with the heavily designed dress suggest her position in society. I can't imagine having to wear this. But I can see why he was outstanding in the Rococo style. It is beyond beautiful!!

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