| dc.description.abstract | Throughout the life of Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904), history was one of his most important subjects. This thesis focuses on his history painting from 1847 to 1867, when he became a professional artist after finishing the curriculum at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He changed the norms of academic tradition, gradually establishing his own style, and becoming one of the most influential artists in mid-nineteenth-century France. His style was both highly valued and harshly criticized at the same time. This study reexamines the archives to uncover the main reason for the divergent opinions, namely that the definition and the practice of history painting as a whole was changing during the mid-nineteenth century. I also revaluated his artistic achievement from the context of nineteenth-century and contemporary perspectives.
When L’Académie Royale de Peinture et Sculpture was founded in the seventeenth century, it proposed a set of norms in which paintings were ranked according to their subjects. Bestowed with both educational and moral missions, history painting sat atop the hierarchy. However, this set of rigid norms began to be questioned in early nineteenth century, as some art critics grew to value genre painting, the lowest ranking subject. Subsequently, a new hybrid style appeared, combining history and genre painting.
As a student at Ecole des Beaux-Arts receiving a conventional academic education, Gérôme highly valued the classical principles. However, contemporary developments in aesthetics and historiography shaped his style as well, especially from the positivist philosopher Hippolyte Adolphe Taine (1828-1893). His painting, as a result, differed from the history painting of the previous two centuries. His art was based on observation and archeological documentation, in order to be as objective as a science. He left no trace of personal brush work on the surface, constructed a cold, photographic setting, presented moments and pictorial space from the viewpoint of drama, and engaged viewers in the historical events, as ominiscent and powerful voyeurs gazing at female nudes and characters in the paintings.
History painting did not die or degenerate because of Gérôme; instead, it eventually expanded its boundaries. Motivations both internal and external to the art itself drove the expansion. Internally, as the theory and practice of history painting had become petrified, artists sought other representation and styles. The major effect on history painting, as a result, changed from focusing on moral meaning to more emotional expression. Externally, the social environment changed. Viewers consisted of a broader range of classes, and more and more painters like Gérôme emphasized a popular aesthetic. History painting thus descended from a sacred height to a level that everyone could appreciate. It no longer required viewers to have good knowledge of history. The characters in the painting still belonged to the ruling class, but their behavior was not necessarily noble and respectful. Its function transformed from educational and moral to more entertaining. Besides, the invention of photography affected the way of seeing and defining truth. While the overall effect was more like photography, for Gérôme, painting itself seemed closer to historical reality. | en_US |