François Boucher

Lore & Background

François Boucher was a native of Paris, son of the lesser known painter Nicolas Boucher, who gave him his first artistic training. At seventeen, his painting was admired by François Lemoyne, who appointed him as apprentice, but after three months Boucher went to work for engraver Jean-François Cars. In 1720 he won the Grand Prix de Rome but did not study in Italy until five years later due to financial problems at the Académie royale. He married Marie-Jeanne Buzeau in 1733 and had three children. His career accelerated after becoming a faculty member in 1734, rising to Professor, Rector, inspector at the Royal Gobelins Manufactory, and finally Premier Peintre du Roi in 1765.

Boucher took inspiration from Peter Paul Rubens and Antoine Watteau. His early works celebrate idyllic and tranquil nature, but his art typically forgoes traditional rural innocence for scenes with a definitive style of eroticism. His mythological scenes are passionate and intimately amorous rather than traditionally epic. Paintings such as The Enjoyable Lesson (The Flute Players) of 1748 and An Autumn Pastoral (The Grape Eaters) of 1749 were based on characters from a 1745 play by his close friend Charles-Simon Favart. Marquise de Pompadour was a great admirer of his work, and Boucher's portraits were central to her self-presentation.

Boucher also designed theater costumes and sets, and tapestry designs for the Beauvais and Gobelins workshops. He was a prolific draftsman, making preparatory studies and independent works. He etched some 180 original copperplates and made many etchings after Watteau. He contributed to the fashionable style of chinoiserie after etching 12 'Figures Chinoises' by Watteau. Boucher died on 30 May 1770 in Paris, and his name, along with that of Madame de Pompadour, became synonymous with the French Rococo style.

Reader's Guide

François Boucher's significance lies in his embodiment of the French Rococo style, as noted by the Goncourt brothers who wrote that he 'represent[s] the taste of a century.' His work ranged from intimate family scenes like The Breakfast (1739) to licentious Odalisque portraits, the latter prompting criticism from Denis Diderot. Boucher's association with Madame de Pompadour linked his art to the court of Louis XV, and his portraits of her were central to her image cultivation. His influence extended through his mentorship of artists including Jacques-Louis David in 1767 and his teaching of gemstone engraver Jacques Guay. Boucher's designs for tapestries, porcelain, and theater augmented his reputation, leading to many engravings and reproductions of his work. His legacy includes a lasting notoriety from private commissions for wealthy collectors, and his name became synonymous with Rococo. The artist famously said that nature is 'trop verte et mal éclairée' (too green and badly lit), reflecting his stylistic priorities.

Did You Know?

• Boucher won the Grand Prix de Rome in 1720 but did not study in Italy until five years later due to financial problems at the Académie royale.
• He mentored the neoclassical painter Jacques-Louis David in 1767.
• Boucher is famous for saying that nature is 'trop verte et mal éclairée' (too green and badly lit).
• He etched 12 'Figures Chinoises' by Watteau, contributing to the chinoiserie style.