Chardin and the Female Image

In the eighteenth century there was a great demand for images of women, and depictions of aristocratic intrigues and love affairs were also popular. Here we compare Chardin's pictures, particularly of women, with those of his contemporaries such as Fragonard, Watteau, Boucher and Greuze, and see where they stand in the European tradition of painting the female image. We also investigate beliefs at the time about the rôle and behavior of women, and the position of the male spectator of the female nude. The moral message of a picture such as Chardin's The Diligent Mother is explained; we also see how he painted children, and the different ways in which he portrayed girls and boys. Finally we explore the question of why Chardin's paintings are still popular today.

© 1998-2008 The Roland Collection & Pira Intl.