Francois Boucher

Francois Boucher was a French, Rococo-style painter working in the 18th Century. Boucher was best known for his idyllic and voluptuous displays of women, combined with pastoral landscapes. However, though his paintings consider mythological elements, they choose to exhibit a more erotic and passionate approach which became a token to the Rococo style. Boucher is said to have “reinvented” the meaning of pastoral landscape and claimed to have produced over 10, 000 drawings in his life for profit.

Personally, I like how playful his paintings are and the way he handles the fabrics on dresses especially is incredible. The balance between detail and emotion in his paintings is interesting as well. However, what I enjoy the most is the fact that he used his wife as his model for so many of his paintings (Fig. 1). It shows another underlay of emotion other than the immediate gentle passion. It also displays the pride he had for the woman he loves.

Figure 1: Portrait of Madame de Pompadour, 1756-58

The Rising of the Sun, 1752

The Toilette of Venus, 1751

Portrait of Madame de Pompadour, 1759

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Works Cited

Laing, Alastair, author. “Boucher, François.” Oxford Art Online, 2003. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.T010423. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Boucher