The self taught painter that captured the people of Paris was born on this day in 1761. Louis-Leopold Boilly had a way of depicting the streets and gatherings between the Revolution and the Restoration. His first painting was shown at the Salon of 1791 and he quickly garnered the attention of the elite who wanted him to paint their portraits.
His paintings can be found in a small room in the Musée du Louvre but recently a fantastic exhibit dedicated to him was held at the Musée Cognac-Jay that I was thrilled to see. A few things that will catch your eye when it comes to his paintings as there is always a bit of humor, fashion and even a bit of naughtiness. Inspired by Frogonard, his paintings behind closed doors got him in a lot of trouble during the Revolution and was marked for a period as being too offensive and hurt his commissions.
Two of his most popular paintings The Public Viewing of David’s Coronation painted in 1810 after he saw the crowds gathered to see the monumental work and The Reunion d’artistes dans l’Atelier d’Isabey did what he did best, gathering large groups of notable figures. In the Atelier all of the great artists, architects and sculptors of the time are shown overlooking the canvas of Isabey.
He was also a master of tromp l’oeil, an idea rarely used at the time and he always had a little fun with it. A cat that broke through the back of a canvas or a broken glass frame usually comes with a small portrait of the artist himself. In many of his large crowd scenes he added his own face into most of them and it’s your very own 19th century Where’s Waldo.
With a knack for finishing a portrait in 2 hours, the artists is said to have captured over 5,000 faces, His small portraits of the creme de la creme of the time were on hand but even more can be found at the Musée Marmottan Monet all year. They really are amazing to see up close and as a total collection and makes you wonder what story each of these people held.
Be sure to visit his paintings in the Louvre on the 2nd floor of the Sully wing in salle 938, they will quickly become a new favorite.
