#8. Early 18th Century art.

The Toilette of Venus

François Boucher  (French, Paris 1703–1770 Paris)

 

Francois Boucher is represented one of artists in golden age of France Rococo painting. Boucher enjoyed immense and widespread public popularity from not only aristocrat and noblesse patronage but also ordinary people by reflecting exactly about taste and trend in that period. In 18^th century, France culture trend is dominated by indulging beautiful thing (le joli) and Boucher’s painting shows them a yearning to beautiful which is simple, bright, luxury, elegant, classy, decorative, and erotic image. Rococo style is made in France and spread to all over the Europe. In Boucher’s painting, there is typical image of France. In this painting, nude Venus is make-up with putti and it looks like she is barely moved. Her bedroom is decorated by velvet curtain and silk bedding, also pearl, ribbon, gold plate and silver tray thing and flowers are strewed. In the background, a marble pillar is also emphasis her social position. Three of putties are make-up her hair and pearl necklace, also white doves are surrounded by her. Boucher’s The Toilete of Venus looks beautiful and elegant but her skin is so pale and it makes unrealistic somehow. I guess that the meaning of the goddess of love become faint and only seek for the value of beauty and joy is related to pleasure tendencies of the age in the Rococo. Throughout his work, an ambience of splendor and luxury is implying the model’s social authority and wealth, also sparkle satin and soft silk things also imply the opulent lifestyle in France court. I think that in this painting, splash of colors, sensual express texture, and full of detail is typical characteristic in Rococo style. According to Boston College, Boucher's success was greatly enhanced by the patronage of Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, known to history as Madame (or Marquise) de Pompadour, the beautiful and talented mistress of Louis XV. Her favorite painter was Boucher and she wanted to decorate her country house by Boucher’s painting. ‘The Toilete of Venus’ is one of the panels in her luxury bathroom. This painting appears the goddess of love with putti which is winged little angle babies and it is symbols of love. According to Boston College, while it is clearly only a decorative panel, the dazzling surface technique, sensuous textures, and profusion of objects that seem to spill over at the boundaries, typify Boucher's work. In this painting, the model for the Venus was Madam de Pompadour herself. I guess that this scene which is image of Venus’s make-up frankly shows women’s desire for chasing beauty. In this subject, mirror is important symbolic icon. Usually, mirror was connected to Venus, the goddess of beauty, so back side of bronze mirror in ancient Greece was make-up or bath scene of Venus. However, in this painting, even though the mirror is on the bed, it is covered by curtain so it is not recognizable. Boucher might not want to express traditional Venus’s make-up, but he wanted to reveal the attractive and beautiful figure and high social status of Madam de Pompadour.

http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/110000172?rpp=20&pg=1&ft=the+toilet+of+venus&pos=1

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/anc_bou_toil.html

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bouc/hd_bouc.htm

http://arts.search.naver.com/service.naver?where=arts_detail&query=%EB%B9%84%EB%84%88%EC%8A%A4%EC%9D%98+%ED%99%94%EC%9E%A5&os=686462