Aspects of French Classicism
The origins of the great school of French classical painting are usually situated between the return of Vouet from Rome in 1627 and Poussin's stay in Paris between 1640 and 1642. Although varying in styles, all the works in this room are constructed around a dialogue with Rome. The Virgin and Child by Jacques Blanchard, the "French Titian" is a painting of private devotion. Aeneus introducing his son Ascanius to Dido by Michel Corneille the Elder is a cartoon for a tapestry, a major art form at the time and a fundamental decorative element of châteaux and private residences.
Laban searching for his idols by Sébastien Bourdon is a bible story handled in the manner of an animal painting as created by the great Genoese painter Castiglione. The Musée des Augustins owns a work by this artist, The Martyrdom of St Andrew. The Offering to Ceres, recalling the style of Jacques Stella, illustrates the persistence of Romanesque subjects treated in the Fontainebleau spirit in the mid 17th century. The vision offered by the collector Jean-Pierre Changeux shows the Great Century in all its richness and complexity.
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