Jean-Baptiste Perronneau was one of the top 3 pastel portraitists of his time. At the beginning of the 18th century, this type of portrait was in vogue. Everyone who was self-respecting and could afford it had his or her portrait painted - from the wealthy bourgeoisie to the high nobility. Jean-Baptist laid the foundation for his later career as a teenager: he apprenticed as an engraver and copperplate engraver to Laurent Cars. Soon, however, he replaced the engraving tools with brushes, oil paints and above all: pastel crayons. With these he achieved great artistry within a few years. He may have taken lessons from Charles-Joseph Natoire or the portrait painter François-Hubert Drouais. In any case, he made his Salon debut in 1746 with a pastel portrait. It was enthusiastically received and brought him many commissions, especially from the bourgeois milieu. The architects Jean-Michel Chevotet and Robert Soyer were among his clients, as was the collector Thomas-Aignan Desfriches. His former teacher Laurent Cars also had himself painted by Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, and colleagues such as the draftsman and engraver Gabriel Huquier also came to him. Among Jean-Baptiste Perronneau's greatest competitors was the established and somewhat older painter Maurice Quentin de La Tour. The artistic duel finally came to a climax in 1750 at the Paris Salon. Perronneau exhibited a pastel portrait of his opponent there. However, he was dismayed to discover that the shot had backfired. For de La Tour showed a self-portrait at the exhibition, and so every observer could directly compare the two portraits. The comparison was won by de La Tour. He demonstrated his superiority in technique impressively.
So no matter how hard Jean-Baptiste Perronneau tried to step out of his competitor's shadow, he could not succeed in the French capital. Instead, he sought his clientele in the provinces and abroad. His portraits tell us today that he had numerous clients all over Europe. From Turin to Rome, from Hamburg to Moscow and from Amsterdam to Warsaw, he worked as a portrait painter. His wife, a daughter of the miniature painter Louis Aubert, often accompanied him on his travels. During this stay in England, Jean-Baptist Perronneau had to appear twice in court to testify for his friend, the Swiss painter Théodore Gardelle, and to vouch for his good character. However, it was of no use. Gardelle was found guilty of the murder of his landlady Anne King in 1760 and executed in Haymarket.
Today Jean-Baptiste Perronneau's works are represented in many different museums and private collections in Europe, as well as in America. Two of the most important collections can be found in the Louvre in Paris and in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans. The fact that there are also works by Maurice Quentin de La Tour would not have pleased Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, but for viewers the comparison of the opponents is still exciting.
Jean-Baptiste Perronneau was one of the top 3 pastel portraitists of his time. At the beginning of the 18th century, this type of portrait was in vogue. Everyone who was self-respecting and could afford it had his or her portrait painted - from the wealthy bourgeoisie to the high nobility. Jean-Baptist laid the foundation for his later career as a teenager: he apprenticed as an engraver and copperplate engraver to Laurent Cars. Soon, however, he replaced the engraving tools with brushes, oil paints and above all: pastel crayons. With these he achieved great artistry within a few years. He may have taken lessons from Charles-Joseph Natoire or the portrait painter François-Hubert Drouais. In any case, he made his Salon debut in 1746 with a pastel portrait. It was enthusiastically received and brought him many commissions, especially from the bourgeois milieu. The architects Jean-Michel Chevotet and Robert Soyer were among his clients, as was the collector Thomas-Aignan Desfriches. His former teacher Laurent Cars also had himself painted by Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, and colleagues such as the draftsman and engraver Gabriel Huquier also came to him. Among Jean-Baptiste Perronneau's greatest competitors was the established and somewhat older painter Maurice Quentin de La Tour. The artistic duel finally came to a climax in 1750 at the Paris Salon. Perronneau exhibited a pastel portrait of his opponent there. However, he was dismayed to discover that the shot had backfired. For de La Tour showed a self-portrait at the exhibition, and so every observer could directly compare the two portraits. The comparison was won by de La Tour. He demonstrated his superiority in technique impressively.
So no matter how hard Jean-Baptiste Perronneau tried to step out of his competitor's shadow, he could not succeed in the French capital. Instead, he sought his clientele in the provinces and abroad. His portraits tell us today that he had numerous clients all over Europe. From Turin to Rome, from Hamburg to Moscow and from Amsterdam to Warsaw, he worked as a portrait painter. His wife, a daughter of the miniature painter Louis Aubert, often accompanied him on his travels. During this stay in England, Jean-Baptist Perronneau had to appear twice in court to testify for his friend, the Swiss painter Théodore Gardelle, and to vouch for his good character. However, it was of no use. Gardelle was found guilty of the murder of his landlady Anne King in 1760 and executed in Haymarket.
Today Jean-Baptiste Perronneau's works are represented in many different museums and private collections in Europe, as well as in America. Two of the most important collections can be found in the Louvre in Paris and in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans. The fact that there are also works by Maurice Quentin de La Tour would not have pleased Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, but for viewers the comparison of the opponents is still exciting.
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