Galerie Dreyfus
71
-
HUBERT ROBERT (PARIS, 1733 – PARIS, 1808)
La Promenade galan…
See original version (French)
71
-
HUBERT ROBERT (PARIS, 1733 – PARIS, 1808)
La Promenade galan…
See original version (French)
Estimate €22,000 - €28,000
Voluntary lot
Description
HUBERT ROBERT
(PARIS, 1733 – PARIS, 1808)
La Promenade galante
c. 1775
Oil on cardboard
23.5 x 30.5 cm.
Certificate from René Millet Expertise.
In this park with its dense foliage, figures move about in small groups,
fragile silhouettes lost in the vastness of nature. A few darker shrubs
compete with them, punctuating this lawn bordered by copses. At the far end of this
expanse, a statue serves as the vanishing point of the perspective. For this park is painted in the manner
of a architectural structure, as shown by the descending line of foliage on the right, which acts
as the vanishing line for this ‘box’ of vegetation, the background of which is set against a cloudy sky.
Whilst the effect is broken on the left, on the ground, very real vanishing lines delineate the lawn,
converging towards the statue and the cluster of trees in the centre. Amidst this harmony of greens and
blues, the figures are splashes of colour—red, white and black. Yet with just
a few brushstrokes, Robert manages to convey the gestures of conversation,
which one imagines to be romantic… We are at the beginning of the reign of Louis XVI, and the parks—places of
socialising—are changing in appearance with the trend for all things English and the quest for a more natural
layout. Hubert Robert contributed to this new fashion for English gardens by designing
the one at Ermenonville as well as the Queen’s Hamlet at Versailles.
Hubert Robert (1733–1808) was a French landscape painter. Originally destined for a career in the
clergy, he developed such a talent for drawing that he was allowed to study under Slodtz. In
1754, he set off for Rome accompanying the French ambassador, where he remained for eleven years. It was
during this time that he discovered antiquity, the ruins of Rome and Pompeii. He met Piranesi, whose
paintings of imaginary architecture impressed him, and Pannini, who pioneered the genre of
architectural caprices—grouping monuments together on a single canvas—from which Robert would draw
inspiration. On his return to Paris, he was admitted to the Academy in 1766 with a painting of ruins. A painter
favoured by the king, for whom he produced *Les Principaux Monuments de France* (The Principal Monuments of France), showcasing
France’s ancient heritage, he was entrusted with various roles, including that of draughtsman for the
king’s gardens and custodian of the king’s paintings. He served on the committee for the future Museum, drawing up
plans for its installation in the Grand Gallery of the Louvre. He collaborated on the creation of
Ermenonville Park, the first English-style garden in France.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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