Greuze became celebrated for his sentimental portraits of village life and his covertly erotic representations of young girls. His works are related to the cult of 'sensibility' in late 18th-century France, and to the rise of the bourgeois novel and drama. He also executed a number of accomplished portraits.
Jean-Baptiste Greuze
1725 - 1805
Paintings by Jean-Baptiste Greuze
A little boy or girl leans on a cushion holding an apple. The child is positioned in the extreme foreground of the picture before a dark blank background, the closeness to us creating a sense of immediacy. The intense gaze of the glistening blue eyes and slightly parted lips – which Greuze has pa...
Not on display
A young woman gazes dreamily out of the picture, but not directly at us. She appears to be outside in a dark woody landscape. She gathers her semi-translucent shawl about her head but does not seem to have noticed that the front of her flimsy muslin dress has fallen down, revealing her left breas...
Not on display
A young girl in three-quarters view looks up and out of the picture to the left. Her transparent shawl, known as a fichu, covers one shoulder but has fallen off the other. Her white muslin dress is only loosely held up over her chest, an effect enhanced by her bodice having come undone. There was...
Not on display
A young girl tenderly holds a lamb, which is decorated with a blue ribbon. Her loose-fitting white chemise has slipped off her shoulder. The girl and lamb occupy the immediate foreground, making them seem close to us and giving the picture a feeling of intimacy.The lamb here probably symbolises i...
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A young woman wearing a blue silk cape is shown half-length looking out of a stone window. Her fashionably powdered hairstyle was known as the ‘tête de mouton’ (’sheep’s head') and was popular in France in the 1750s. She rests her left arm on a piece of light beige cloth draped over the stone led...
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This middle-aged man regards us with a serious and thoughtful gaze. Greuze took great care painting his face, using a series of glazes to capture his slightly droopy eyes, barely parted lips, pink cheeks and light grey stubble. His blue velvet jacket is decorated with a gold trim and gold-coloure...
Not on display