Sharjah: Aladdin Mahmoud
The French artist Henri Fantan-Latour (1836-1904) is considered one of the remarkable figures of its kind among French artists and intellectuals during the second half of the nineteenth century. intended for printing, and his style tended to preserve the traditions of painting and interest in studied composition far from spontaneity, and he had great respect for the Impressionists and their renewal revolution, led by the leader of their new trend, Edouard Manet.
Latour first studied painting from his father, who was also an artist, then joined the School of Fine Arts in Paris in 1854, and following graduating he spent many years in the Louvre Museum copying the paintings of great artists with great perfection, which helped him develop an artistic technique in which he excelled, so that he Examination of some of his flower paintings by x-ray shows that they are completely devoid of any build-up of colors on top of each other; As his first brush stroke is the last stroke without mistakes.
The painting “A Studio in Batignolles” is considered one of Latour’s most important works, and it is inspired by a relationship that linked two great creators, one of whom belongs to the world of literature, and the other is one of the most famous drawing artists, the two Frenchmen Emile Zola and Edouard Manet; As the work is like a commemoration of that firm and strong relationship that brought together the two great personalities, each in his field, as Manet “1832 1883” is considered the owner of well-established practices in the history of the arts, as he is considered one of the most important pioneers of the Impressionist school, and his works today are considered a milestone in the field of art. drawing date; It represents the beginning of modern art, because of its avant-garde images that reflect the aesthetics of contemporary life, to the extent that the Impressionists considered Manet their spiritual leader, while Zola (1840-1902) was the famous writer, novelist and critic; As he is considered one of the influential French writers and critics in public opinion, and represents the most important model of the literary school that belongs to the naturalism in literature and art, and he was an important figure in the political fields.
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*Relationship
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The relationship between Zola and Manet began in 1866, and since the meeting and acquaintance that brought them together, each of them began to defend the other in the face of attacks from the press and opponents of artists, and this friendship resulted in Manet’s works achieving great success and finding unparalleled acceptance among art lovers and critics. This is due to the articles that Zola wrote, which introduced people to Manet, as well as to the Impressionist school, its characteristics and methods, which formed an awareness of that current and an artistic taste among the art public, and the fact that Manet painted a painting of Zola as an expression of his gratitude for the active support he provided for his art, and he In 1866, Zola wrote a wonderful critical article regarding Manet, who was then under severe attack by critics, and the credit for this strong relationship that brought together the painter and the writer was the artist Antoine Guillemette, who was famous for his landscape painting.
*a description
In the painting “A Studio in Batignolles”, Latour combined Zola and Manet in one painting, in the latter’s studio, in addition to some important artistic, literary and media personalities at the time, and all those names in the work combine a relationship of friendship, but many critics They rule out that a group of people were present in Manet’s studio at one time, but it was Latour’s wild imagination and his love for them that made this imagined scene, and some art historians indicate that there are some indications and indications that this painting consisted of a group of separate preparatory drawings, Then they were all collected in one painting, and despite the presence of well-known personalities in the painting, the artist’s focus was more on Zola and Manet, given that the painting itself is a memorial to the friendship of the creators.
In the scene of the painting, the beholder sees Manet with his true facial features, while he is engaged in the drawing process, and does not seem to care regarding the presence of all that crowd in his studio, as he is preoccupied; As he practices his favorite hobby and work while wearing white pants, and near him sits a well-known figure at the time, the critic and writer Zakaria Astruc, who was among the strongest defenders of the Impressionist school, and the German painter Otto Scholderer and the artist Renoir appear in the scene as well, wearing a hat , the musician Edmond Matter, and the painter Frederic Bazille, in addition to Zola, who also seems not to care regarding what his friend Manet, who is busy with drawing, is doing.
*details
The painting brought together the stars of art and literature at that time, especially the painters of the Impressionist school, writers and journalists defending that artistic current, which was like a great creative revolution, and Manet was his most prominent representative, and the genius of the artist Latour lies in his ability to employ dark colors and lighting in a way that shows faces in an image clear.
Art lovers received the painting with great celebration, and some critics tried to monitor symbolic connotations in the painting. Where some of them pointed out that the vase shown on the left side is Japanese in origin and design, and this indicates the openness of these innovators to the arts of the Middle East, and in particular Japan, which had high-level artistic traditions that had an impact on many great Western artists, as some critics pointed to That the frame hanging on the wall is an indication that Impressionism is the upcoming new art, while many historians and critics have emphasized that the value of the main painting lies in its documentary and historical nature.
