14 April 2010, the exhibition French Art of the XVII - XVIII Centuries from collections of the State Hermitage is opened in the Hermitage-Kazan Center. Over 140 pieces of painting, sculpture and applied art offer insight into artistic life in France of that time, when it becomes the trendsetter of European art fashion.

A truly grand scale of town-planning works during the rule of Louis increasingly demanded creation of a unified style and establishment of an art school to be headed by a French painter. He was Simon Vouet, a master who lived for a long time in Italy and headed St. Luke Academy in Rome. In 1627, Vouet was summoned to his homeland, where he was awarded the title “the First Painter of the King.” Doing a great number of orders from the royal court for the Louvre and the Palais du Luxembourg, the Versailles and the Château de Vincennes, the Fontainebleau and the Palais-Royal, Simon Vouet has a large workshop, where young painters worked under his guidance. The painting of a pupil of the master, one of the most influential painters of the first half of the XVII century, Francois Perrier, “Hercules amid Olympus Gods” offers insight into a style that gained a foothold in French art with arrival of Simon Vouet.

New conditions attract numerous painters to Paris who previously worked in Italy. A special place among them is taken by a brilliant painter, Jean Blanchard, whose works clearly manifest influence of Venetian school.

The most talented pupil of Simon Vouet was Eustache Le Sueur, who brought lyricism and soft colors into the majestic style of his teacher. One of the examples is “Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple.” .

1635 is the year of foundation of the first Royal Academy – the Academy of Literature, with classicism becoming the dominant style recognized by the court. Nicolas Poussin was the one who developed and perfected the classicism doctrine in painting. In his work he, before anything else, turned to ancient and biblical history giving his preference to rare and dramatic plots, like “Salvation of Zenobia" or "The Death of Germanicus", illustrating moral or philosophic ideas. In landscape painting, classicism was embodied by Poussin’s follower Claude Lorrain. “Arrival of Ulysses to the Court of Lycomedes" continues the series of famous harbors that brought well-earned fame to the painter, and «Landscape with Christ on the road to Emmaus" belongs to the second half of his work, when the pastoral landscape type that he created is filled with deep and, as a rule, religious content.

In 1648 was opened the Royal Academy of Sculpture and Painting, where teaching was based on Poussin’s ideas and practice. That was the period when beautiful masterpieces of French classicist painting were created, such as "The Siege of Samaria" by Tom Blanche, "The Baptism of a Centurion" by Pierre Corneille the Elder, "Holy Family" by Pierre Cauchy.

This striving for creation of a unified style embracing all fields of art leads in early 1660 to reorganization and reformation of the Academy by Charles Le Brun and Jean-Baptiste Colbert. From now on, painting on history (mainly, ancient) and religious themes, allegories and ceremonial portraits were considered worthwhile. The most prominent representative of this kind of painting in the epoch of its thriving was Charles Le Brun, who headed the Paris Academy in 1661, was the head of the Royal Manufactory, and was supervising interior finishing works in the Versailles Palace and the Apollo Gallery in the Louvre. We can judge the grand style” that he created by the work of a master of his circle "Battle of Romans and Sabines".

Le Brun’s pupil was an outstanding master of the second half of the century Charles de La Fosse, who had a wonderful talent to combine principles of French classicism and the rich heritage of Italian, and especially, Venetian, school in his work. He is represented by two paintings: “Walking on Waters” and “Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalene".

In the second half of the XVII, the portrait acquires bigger importance. Joseph Vivien depicts the famed royal architect Jules Ardouin-Mansar in the spirit of academic art. "Portrait of Maria Virginia Farnese" by Jacob-Ferdinand Foote was created with a greater painter freedom.

One of the most brilliant painters of the XVIII century was Antoine Watteau. Followers of the genre that he created, “courteous festivities”, supported the plot, composition, and painting tools employed by the master. All peculiarities that characterize these paintings have got wonderful reflection in "Concert in the Park", by Nicolas Lancret.

The end of the 1720s witnesses the new direction in architecture, painting and applied art – rococo. Genre painting became no less important than history painting.

Jean-François Courtin, under the influence of А.Watteau, yet not imitating him but finding his own solutions, created his charming female images ("Young Woman in Front of the Mirror"), and Jean-Francois de Troy – small paintings depicting elegant society in luxurious interiors or in the open air ("The Scene in the Park").

History painters, unlike their predecessors, gave preference to love affairs of ancient gods, not heroic mythology. This tendency is vividly illustrated by «Bacchus and Ariadne” by Charles Joseph Natoire and "Birth of Venus” by Noël-Nicolas Coypel.

The ideal mouthpiece of taste of his time becomes François Boucher, whose quite diverse work is represented by "Crossing the Bridge".

Intimate portrait, from the allegoric and superficial Jean-Marc Nattier to the more individual Louis Tocque takes a bigger place.

The end of the 1730s was marked by formation of a flow that co-existed with the rococo art and was associated with ideals of the third estate and dissemination of ideas of enlightenment. Art experience new moral atmosphere, other virtues - family values, sincere feelings, modesty. Portrait, still-life painting and everyday genre undergo special development. One of the main expressers of democratic ideals of the French art is Jean-Baptiste Greuze, who led sentimental and moral trend in painting, which was in harmony with ideas of enlightenment and became fundamental in painting ("Young Girl in a Lilac Tunic").

Numerous and diverse trends in French art of the mid-XVIII century were replaced by a new trend – neoclassicism, which was marked by resurrection of by then forgotten history genre; everyday genre remains popular; and portrait and landscape painting acquire new meaning.

Landscape painting at that time was almost wholly defined by works of two renowned painters who further developed traditions of Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin – the marine painter Claude Joseph Vernet (“Harbour in Ancona"," Harbour with an Obelisk", "Waterfall in Tivoli”) and painter of architecture and ruins scenes Hubert Robert ("Landscape with the Ruins of a Round Temple, with a Statue of Venus and Marcus Aurelius Monument", "The Ancient Building Serving as a Public Bath").

The portrait art of the second half of the XVIII century becomes even more important than landscape painting and develops the same neoclassicism ideas. Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun was extremely popular at that time (“Portrait of Great Duchess Elizabeth Alexeevna”, “Portrait of Anna Pitt as Hebe”)

Starting from the XVII century and for many years ahead, France becomes the leading country in applied art.

The court of Louis XIV with its ceremonies implied décor that was in tune with needs of the king and his entourage. That was the tome of establishment of royal manufactories and workshops supplying espaliers, embroideries, bronze pieces, and furniture.

Furniture of that time is characterized by monumentality of scales, generality of contours and splendor of decorations. The new type of furniture in the mid-XVII century is ebony cabinets decorated with carving. The second half of the century is marked by the fashion for the Boulle technique (derives from the name of the most famous furniture maker of that time Andre-Charles Boulle). Closets, cabinets, bureaus in this technique were made in pairs: in one case the background was a turtle, and in the other – copper. Works by Boulle are wonderful samples of the so-called “grand style” in furniture of the XVII century.

Interior walls were decorated with espaliers. Espaliers were woven in series on mythology, historical and religious themes. In the middle of the century they were made at the manufactory headed by masters from Brussels - Marc de Comans and Francois de la Planche. In Paris suburbs, in the house of dyer Gobelin, was opened a manufactory that received the name Gobelin’s. It was headed Charles Le Brun, who created paintings for series of espaliers.

The XVIII century is the golden age of French applied art, when authority of France in this field becomes absolute.

The beginning period of transition from the “grand style” to rococo was named “regency style”. That was the time of gradual transition from pompous forms of the epoch of Louis XIV to sophisticated forms characteristic of the reign of Louis XV. It was in art crafts that special features of refined rococo style got most obvious expression.

Décor of staterooms remains quite traditional; in living premises furniture becomes more diverse. It is freely arranged in space, forming corners for tea drinking, conversations, sewing, and music playing. Bureaus become widely spread, and a great number of tables of various shapes and décor, comfortable corner cabinets appear in the mid-XVIII century. Contours of things lose straight lines almost completely. Marquetry technique (patterns from various trees glued onto a wooden base) gains popularity.

Delftware is replaced by porcelain. True mastering of this unique material began in the XVIII century, first in Vincennes, then in Sèvres after transfer of the manufactory there. Whole tea sets and separate items are made from porcelain. Sèvres launches manufacturing of porcelain plastic – small sculptures made from unglazed mass – biscuits, after the models of the best painters of the XVIII century - L.-S. Boizeau, E.-M. Falconet and others.

The Age of Enlightenment with its inclination toward simplicity, clarity and love of nature brings its correction to development of applied art. In the second half of the XVIII century, rococo is replaced by neoclassicism.

Many types of furniture remain yet the shapes and finishing change. Curving lines of contours are replaced by straight lines; construction details become more evident; antique ornaments of eggs and darts, palmettes, meander, pearl are used in décor. Escritoires with folding boards become popular.

French masters of neoclassicism gave their special attention to bronze decorations. The best bronzers - Pierre Gouthier and Pierre Philip Thomire – cooperated with furniture makers and at the same time created their own bronze decorations.

Espaliers become popular again for interior décor. They are woven not only at the Gobelins’ manufactory, but also at the manufactory in Beauvais and Savauneri, and in greater quantities. Though espaliers now remind more of textile pictures, after losing their decorative qualities pertaining to this type if creation art only.

Research catalogue “French Art of the XVII-XVIII Centuries from Collections of the State Hermitage” (Slaviya Publishing House, Saint Petersburg, 2010) has been prepared for the exhibition. Authors of the articles on painting and applied art are Head of Department of Western European Applied Art Tamara Rappe and senior research assistants of Department of Western European Fine Art Ekaterina Deryabina and Natalia Serebryannaya