La Peinture 1770 - 1786

Curator: This is *La Peinture*, or Painting, a print made by Claude Augustin Duflos le Jeune between 1770 and 1786. It depicts a painter in his studio, caught in the act. Editor: He looks so pleased, doesn’t he? Totally absorbed. And, is that a cat curled up at his feet? It’s like he’s conjured up his own little universe there, cozy in that workspace, far away from everyone else! Curator: That sense of artistic isolation and self-sufficiency was a key theme in depictions of artists at the time. Remember that academies, which carefully governed artistic production and taste, were increasingly influential during this period. Showing an artist independently at work becomes a kind of statement, even a romantic one. Editor: Perhaps…I can't help but think this particular artist is being incredibly unproductive! Look at what he’s supposedly creating: cherubic blobs barely discernible within a vague suggestion of a forest. If that's what comes out of being independently artistic, then count me out. My cats are more inventive than that. Curator: But maybe the image is less about what he *is* painting, and more about what he *can* paint. The act of creation itself, the potential to conjure worlds, is celebrated. The text below emphasizes that drive to imitate nature through Painting; an attachment to "the empire of the Arts." The poem on the bottom dedicates all its elements: forms, colors, plans and effects Editor: True… It’s a mood board then, for living rather than literal execution. What really grabs me are the little details: the casually elegant garb, the way the light catches his wig, the palettes with colors like little jewels at his fingertips, and that sleepy feline companion! These embellishments transform the scene into more than just a mere activity. Curator: It absolutely reframes painting as an elevated intellectual and social pursuit, rather than simply manual labor. This kind of imagery reinforces the status of the artist. Duflos likely wanted to establish credibility in intellectual milieus that held the academy to be a pillar of cultural influence in Parisian salons. Editor: So, it’s not about showing off skills, it's about signaling participation in that milieu! This discussion changed how I looked at this work, seeing now what this drawing tells me about the society of that time! Curator: Exactly! By observing its techniques, the themes of *La Peinture* become windows into understanding French society, then and now.