A Little Knowledge…….!

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing! At art school we had (mostly) fabulous art history lectures and (not so fabulous) exams where we had to learn between 100-150 paintings artist, genre, style, symbolism, period, As it was pre-internet you had at least 100 students fighting to get at the same art books pre-exam. I remember clearly searching for the works of François Boucher, and this one in particular ''Allegory of Painting'' and this is my sketch of it. 

Painted in 1765 by Boucher (and here is where a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing) it shows an artist lounging  '‘deshabille'' on comfortable cushions while twiddling with a chalk/charcoal pencil and being crowned with laurels by simpering, chubby cherubs! This is how I imagined my future life as an artist!

An allegory is a poem, story or picture that has a deeper, hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. Ok, let’s look at this Boucher, firstly what is he trying to say? Did he paint, draped in swathes of silk in lying? Have you ever tried painting in this position, I'm normally standing (yes, bare foot too) but all that pastel dust (Boucher also used pastels) would drop into your drapery and  leaning on one elbow for a long time usually results in pins and needles. You certainly wouldn’t be laughing that simperingly after 15 mins.

Rococo frivolity at its best, Boucher painted, designed tapestries, theatre scenery and costumes and really embodies the spirit of the Rococo era, the plumptious, blushing bottom of his Blonde Odalisque is second to none. Boucher celebrated curvaceous, voluptuousness but what does this allegory say about artists. No explanation! 

Was Boucher suggesting that female artists were only diddling around, playing at art ….. blowsy trollops in overlarge blouses pretending to be artists…, we will never know. It is thought that Allegory of Painting and its ''sister'' painting Allegory of Musik were perhaps above door panels but no further explanation can be found. 

As for me, reclining in barely there silks while I twiddled around looking exceedingly ravishing didn’t materialise. I'm usually to be found covered in pastel dust, frustratedly trying to unblock drains, mow the lawn and answer the phone while trying to stay in the flow! 

At the end of the day the hidden meaning of this Allegory remains just that, although I really would appreciate being surrounded by simpering cherubs allowing me to rest on my laurels.