Jean Batist Grez Biography
Born on August 21 in the tour, Burgundy. Between and studied in Lyon with Sh. Grandon, then at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris. In - visited Italy. The head of the sentimental-modifying direction in the French painting of the second half of the 18th century, Dreams shared the opinion of enlighteners about art as an active means of raising morals. The works of the artist Jean Batista Gresis are characterized by a combination of sensitivity with exaggerated pathos, the idealization of nature, sometimes quite well -known sweetness especially in numerous images of children's and female heads.
Although in the portrait of a dream, the philosopher Dronro is represented by inspired and emotional, its actual characteristic feature was thoughtfulness and seriousness. The guitarist, a vow of fidelity to Erot, the collection of Wallace, London, such questions accelerated the changes in the subject of French painting. Didro introduced the fashion to a compassionate sensitivity and he also paved the way to the revival of neoclassicism.
The implementation of his artistic aspirations was the work of Jacques Louis David, first presented in the cabin of the year - the last salon, which dido wrote about.
But direct imitation of classical art was inspired by the disgust of Didro. He pointed out that the ancients did not have the sample, the antiquity that they could imitate. Their art inspired an elevated idea. And Didro's own taste gravitated to the exact opposite than to clarity achieved by training. He appreciated extremes, he liked fantasy, he considered extravagance more attractive quality in art than coldness.
In his articles, which were never printed, but entered the “literary correspondence” of Baron Melchiora von Grimm, corresponded by hand and sent to subscribers at the courts of all Europe, the idea of an antithesis of romantic and classical traditions was theoretically tested, which was inspired by art after a year. Grez, encouraged by the praise of Didro, continued to waste himself in a sentimental genre, no longer noticing the inconsistency of his instructive stories to a new spirit of time and, apparently, not realizing that he answered the tastes of Didro no more than Bush.
His original attitudes were praised, but he more and more exchanged himself for little things, became calculating, rolling into inevitable eccentricity. In the year, Didro announced that he was no longer interested in his work; Criticism even gave pleasure to the failure of another ambitious and pompous picture of a dream, presented for the diploma of the Academy. The picture of the mature period of the work of the painter Jean Batista Greza "Guitarist".
A young man, dressed in a theatrical costume, sets up a guitar, carefully listening to sounds. His tired widely open eyes and a muddy gaze hint at a random lifestyle. The juicy picture is replete with details characteristic of the Flemish genrees of the XVII century, whose manner of dreams sought to surpass. The scenes of everyday life created by Grez often contain a moralizing meaning.
However, when the style of the era changed in favor of neoclassicism, represented by such masters as Jacques Louis David, Graz out of fashion. Unfortunately, the artist’s desire to maintain popularity led him to an insincere sentimental manner. Therefore, until recently, many of his paintings, which were important for the history of art, were not appreciated. Jean Batista Greras died on March 4 in Paris.