The posterity of Rembrandt in the century of Fragonard

Draguignan (Var). Rembrandt (1606-1669) is one of those artists elevated to the rank of myth and whose work spans the ages. In the 18th century, the Dutch painter became a reference: his paintings circulated in the hands of artists and collectors in Europe and especially in Paris, which had become the capital of the art market. We enjoy observing them, being inspired by them, imitating them. These are precisely two pastiches, long attributed to the master and preserved as such in the collections of the Draguignan Museum of Fine Arts, which mark the starting point of the exhibition. Their lineage has since been reassessed: it is from the French school of the early 18th century that we should look for the author of The Child with the Soap Bubblewhile the Portrait of young man wearing a red chef’s hat and a gold chain would be by the hand of a Germanic artist. However, with these reattributions, questions emerged: why do we paint in the manner of Rembrandt? How has the master left his mark on posterity? The subject, hitherto little treated, turns out to be all the more interesting as it is not limited here to workshop copies, quite the contrary. Among those influenced are the biggest names of the 18th century: Jean Honoré Fragonard, Jean Siméon Chardin, Hyacinthe Rigaud…

Works “watched”

“In the exhibition, we wanted to go beyond the question of what a Rembrandt is today. We wanted to present paintings that were constructed as works by Rembrandt in the 18th century.e century, regarded as such. So be interested in the way in which artists will interpret them, copy, pastiche… specifies Yohan Rimaud, curator and director of the museum. Along the way, the characteristics of the “Rembranesque” model are gradually revealed in a thoughtful selection, almost entirely made up of loans. In total: around sixty works hung, mainly portraits, all contemplated in the 18th century. “We tried to recreate these viewing conditions by only asking for paintings that have been looked at, that have been the subject of documentation attesting to this,” supports Yohan Rimaud. Thus, a Cabbage cutter attributed to Jean-Baptiste Santerre (1651-1717) matched by a copy of The Filthy according to Rembrandt, a parallel all the more relevant since the two compositions were associated in certain collections of the time.

Rembrandt is indeed erected as a beacon, even in the exhibition. Despite a tight hanging – constrained by the cramped nature of the rooms – the pride of place is given to the work of the Dutch master. In each section, a masterpiece by Rembrandt or a work formerly attributed to him stands out, i.e. three paintings by his hand and ten others which have been considered as such. All in sober restraint, his portrait of a Old woman with a book (1637), on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, is compared with the realistic portraits of Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805). The essential Holy Family du Louvre, which became the most expensive Rembrandt sold in France in the 18th century, occupies a pride of place on a wall of chiaroscuro scenes, where the gestures respond to each other. Accurate correlations, which on the other hand leave little room for engraving even though the latter is central in the dissemination of Rembrandt’s work. Let us nevertheless note the presence of a few engraved female nudes, roundly criticized by the critics of the time.

Explicit connections

Far from establishing superficial connections, the exhibition clearly explains the borrowings, the more or less tenuous links that the artists maintain with the work of Rembrandt. Vigor of color, subtle modulation of light, expressive power of figures, taste for oriental accessories… Rembrandt’s paintings fascinate a wide variety of painters, among whom Fragonard is undoubtedly the most brilliant interpreter. As evidenced by its virtuosos Heads of old menbrought to life with a vibrant touch. The tour also highlights the talent of lesser-known artists such as Alexis Grimou and Joseph Aved, both fine connoisseurs of the Dutch painter. Other comparisons, more unexpected at first glance, are convincing: the tender scene of a dog nursing her young painted by Jean-Baptiste Oudry, all in chiaroscuro, offers a facetious counterpoint to the Nativities of Rembrandt and Fragonard. And to compensate for the absence of major works that could not be loaned, treasures of ingenuity were deployed. The self-portrait with two circles, Rembrandt’s masterpiece which hardly ever leaves Kenwood House in London, is thus replaced by a very fine copy, found in the collections of the Granet Museum (Aix-en-Provence) and presented for the first time in more than fifty years.