La Marotte Francois Boucher (1703-1770)

Description of the painting "Pastoral" by François Boucher

François Boucher became famous not only as a talented artist, perfectly in keeping with the spirit of his time, but also as a decorator and author of engravings. He illustrated many books. He turned most often to mythological subjects, but drew them in a pastoral way, partly decorative, showing rare ingenuity. In addition, he paid tribute to genre scenes and painted portraits to order. The brightest representative of the Rococo, the artist sought that all his works fit perfectly into the interior and served as additional decoration of the rooms. His main customer was the Marquise de Pompadour.

The painting "Pastoral" is a typical example of Boucher’s creativity. Bright, as if lacquer colors form the basis of the pictorial work. The artist uses all the colors of the spectrum without exception, but the overall undertone of the painting is golden pink, creating a sense of warmth and light flirtation. The notion of "pastoral," derived from the word "pastoral," is based on the glorification of the countryside, idealized existence, conflict-free coexistence against the backdrop of nature.

Boucher filled almost all of his pastorals with open flirtation and partly even eroticism. The canvas depicts a couple in love - a pretty girl in a puffy yellow skirt and a pale pink blouse with a large cleavage, and her lover, dressed in beige pants and a bright scarlet vest. Both characters are barefoot; flowers are woven into the girl’s hair, and roses also lie at the lovers’ feet. On the right, a curly sheep nestles against the girl; the scene is framed by picturesque tree branches. A light gray, silvery sky serves as a neutral tone for the embarrassed, flushed face of the heroine. Today, such a subject and the seriousness of its execution may serve as an object of surprise; in Boucher’s time, however, the piquant artificiality of the situation was the most familiar and typical scenario for a painting.