V—FRANCE (PART I)

1. Poussin and Claude—Influence of Domenichino on Poussin. Relation to Cardinal Barberini. Richelieu and Louis XIII. Influence of Poussin on landscape-painting. Claude's studies in Italy. Late success. Mythological and Scriptural subjects. The Liber Veritatis. Ruskin's estimate. Comparison with Turner in the National Gallery, London. Claude as an etcher. Hamerton's opinion of him.

2. Court Painters and Others—LeBrun. Patronage of Seguier. Work under Louis XIV. and Colbert at Fontainebleau, Versailles, and Sceaux. Watteau, peintre des Fêtes Galantes. Artificial pastoral scenes. Reading from Pater's A Court Painter. Chardin. Only painter of humble life of his time. Neglect then; appreciation now. Why this change in opinion? Fragonard. Relation to Chardin. Greuze. Names of some of his court beauties. Are they true to life?

3. David and Ingres—Inspiration of the antique in David. Historical subjects. Napoleon pictures. Compare Ingres with David.

4. Delaroche, Géricault, Delacroix—Delaroche's loyalty to classic traditions of painting. Pictures at Versailles. Géricault: His pictures of nature and especially animals. Delacroix: Connection of the romantic movement in painting with that in literature. Effect of Delacroix's influence on modern painting.

Books to Consult—Sir Edmund Head: Handbook of the History of the Spanish and French Schools of Painting. Lady Dilke: French Painters of the Eighteenth Century. Staley: Watteau and His School. Turner and Baker: Stories of the French Artists.

Have a paper on The Influence of the French Revolution on French Art. Before that, that artificial and frivolous spirit characterized the work of the painters as it did the life of the court, for which they largely did their work. Note the many pictures illustrating the life of Napoleon, his battles, and his victories; Versailles is full of them. The enthusiasm of patriotism and the new national sense are shown in this reaction.