Angelica and Medoro 1630 - 1633

Jacques Blanchard, a leading Parisian painter, created this oil on canvas of Angelica and Medoro, likely in the 1630s. It depicts a scene of love and inscription drawn from Ariosto's epic poem, Orlando Furioso. Blanchard’s sensuous style, which here presents nude figures in an idealized landscape, was formed through exposure to the work of Venetian artists. It embodies the artistic and social values of the French court. We see a move away from religious themes toward classical and mythological subjects, reflecting the values of a secular elite. The painting also testifies to the rising status of the artist in French society. Blanchard and his contemporaries founded the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1648, ten years after his death. Institutions like the Academy served to promote a particular style of art as well as regulate who could be an artist. Art historians can study patronage records, Academy transcripts, and other archival documents to better understand this painting within its social and institutional context.