Jeune Fille Aux Mains Jointes 1780

Jean-Baptiste Greuze created this portrait with oil on canvas, a traditional medium that allowed for detailed realism and smooth gradations of color. Look closely, and you can almost feel the soft texture of her skin and the subtle sheen of her satin dress. Oil paint, with its capacity for blending, was the perfect choice to capture the delicate blush on her cheeks. But there's more to this painting than just technical skill. Greuze was known for his sentimental and moralizing subjects. By carefully crafting the illusion of reality, Greuze elevated the status of everyday life and challenged the traditional hierarchy of artistic genres. In doing so, he was responding to a changing social landscape, one where the middle class was gaining prominence. The choice of material is therefore not neutral: it is an active part of the artistic statement. By using oil paint to depict ordinary people with such care and attention, Greuze blurred the lines between the high art of portraiture and the everyday lives of his viewers.