Fright n.d.

John Downman created this drawing called 'Fright' with graphite on paper. It's based on a work by Charles Le Brun, the influential court painter to Louis XIV. In the 18th century, academies of art defined which subjects and styles were appropriate for artists. Le Brun was a key figure in the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture which promoted the idea that art should be rational and orderly, reflecting the values of the monarchy. His work codified the expression of emotions in painting. This drawing reflects that system, illustrating “fright” as a specific, recognizable state. Downman, working in England, engages with these French ideas, demonstrating the spread of academic theories across national borders. Artists would copy works like this as exercises, absorbing and replicating the approved styles. As art historians, we can look to the records of the academies, the writings of artists, and the social history of the period to understand the role that emotion and expression played in the art of the time. The meaning of art lies in these contexts.