| Scene from a Deluge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson |
| Year | c. 1806 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 441 cm × 341 cm (174 in × 134 in) |
| Location | Louvre, Paris |
Scene from a Deluge (Scène du déluge) is an oil-on-canvas painting by Anne-Louis Girodet. It was first exhibited at the Salon of 1806 and is now in the collection of the Louvre in Paris.
Background
Girodet, after studying under Jacques-Louis David, was determined to prove himself. Upon his return to Paris after spending several years working in Rome, Girodet had a preference for elaborate subjects and avoided commissions when possible. After his painting Ossian Receiving the Ghosts of French Heroes was widely criticized at the 1802 Salon, Girodet was resolute about triumph at a future Salon. Scene From a Deluge provided much of the success that he sought, though it was met with a mixed reception at the Salon of 1806.
The painting received first prize at the concours décennal of 1810, under the category of heroic history painting, beating Jacques-Louis David's Sabine Women; it was again exhibited at the Salon of 1814.[1] It was purchased by the French state in 1818 for the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris. Upon Girodet's death in 1824, it was transferred to the Louvre, along with two other works by the artist: The Sleep of Endymion and the Burial of Atala.
Description
The large-format canvas (4.41 x 3.41 meters) represents five members of the same family; they struggle to escape the raging elements of nature. The man perched on a rock hangs from a tree that is beginning to break; he tries to pull up his wife and two children, all while supporting on his back an old man who carries a purse in his hand. The sky is streaked with lightning; a cadaver floats in the agitated water.
The frightful scene has elements of the Sublime, which Girodet deployed to engage viewers. The man’s expression of terror amplifies the effect. The work thrilled, excited, and terrified the audience at the Salon.[2]
Analysis
According to the 2005 exhibition on Girodet organized by Sylvain Bellenger, the painting can be interpreted as a political allegory. In September 1806, Girodet wrote about his painting for the Journal de Paris: "How many people, set upon the reefs of the world and in the midst of social tempests, entrust, like this family, their health and fortune to rotten supports." The “social tempest” was likely an allusion to the Revolution and “rotten supports” a possible reference to Napoleon. Thus Girodet suggests a view of the painting in which France clings desperately to Napoleon to escape from the violent revolutions that had spread over the nation only to discover that Napoleon, the support, was rotten and plunge France back into the turmoil of revolution. Contemporary journalists at the time did not echo Girodet’s words, perhaps fearing censorship or failing to recognize the painting's message.[2]: 289
Response from critics
From the first day of exhibition, the crowds were captivated by the piece. But critics did not entirely approve of its unorthodox subject matter and visual qualities. David, Girodet’s mentor, particularly passed severe judgment on the painting and declared it a threat to the dignity of art. He believed that it threatened the idealism of art and, if it was not checked, it would lead to a distasteful genre of history painting less focused on the subject matter and more on melodrama and perversity.[2] Many critics found the work unnecessarily horrific. Some felt that Girodet had gone too far and believed that viewers were overwhelmed rather than moved by grief when seeing the painting. Girodet's defenders claimed that the painting had a philosophical lesson: an allegory depicting man protecting age, womanhood, and youth. Aside from the subject matter, critics complained about a variety of stylistic elements of the painting. The anatomy of the figures was too idealized and just used to draw the viewer in. But the mother's upper arm is too limp compared to her sturdy legs and the cadaver floating in the water was too pretty, and the dimensions and balance were lacking, possibly due to the largeness of the painting. Girodet was hurt by the criticisms despite the praise he received, and he responded to critics in an anonymous text titled "La Critique des Critiques du Sallon [sic] de 1806." The text suggested that critics tend to deny a living painter's accomplishments but when the painter is dead, his reputation rises automatically.[3]
Related works
A preparatory drawing in black chalk, dated ca. 1795, is held by the National Gallery of Canada.[4] Unlike the final painting, the sketch is horizontal in format and does not contain the older child clinging to his mother or the tree. A dog instead accompanies the group.[4]
The painting was reproduced as a lithograph in 1825 by Jean Baptiste Aubry-Lecomte.[5]
References
- ↑ François Séraphin Delpech (1814). Examen raisonné des ouvrages de peinture, sculpture et gravure exposés au Salon du Louvre en 1814. Paris: Martinet. pp. 41–49..
- 1 2 3 Bellenger, Sylvain (2005). Girodet: 1767-1824. Musée du Louvre, Réunion des musées nationaux, Art institute. Paris: Gallimard Musée du Louvre éd. ISBN 978-2-35031-038-1.
- ↑ Cleaver, Dale G. (1978). "Girodet's Déluge , a Case Study in Art Criticism". Art Journal. 38 (2): 96–101. doi:10.1080/00043249.1979.10793479. ISSN 0004-3249 – via JSTOR.
- 1 2 Sonia Del Re (August 2018). "Expressive et raffinée : étude pour "Une scène de déluge" d'Anne-Louis Girodet"..
- ↑ Olivier Morand (2011). "Girodet lithographe". Nouvelles de l'Estampe (233–234)..
Bibliography
- Dale G. Cleaver (1978). "Girodet's Déluge, a Case Study in Art Criticism". Art Journal. 38 (2): 96–101. doi:10.1080/00043249.1979.10793479..
- Chiara Savettieri (2017). "Tutto è disperazione in questo dipinto" : interpretazione del Déluge di Anne-Louis Girodet. Philosophica (in Italian). Pise: Edizioni ETS. p. 166. ISBN 978-88-467-4928-4..
- Bellenger, Sylvian (2005) Girodet 1767-1824 Musee du Louvre, Reunion des musees nationaux, Art institute. Paris: Gallimard Musee du Louvre ed. ISBN 2-35031-038-8