Jean-Baptiste Greuze et ses têtes d'expression : la fortune d'un genre

Description

The representation of so-called expressive heads was initiated by Charles Le Brun in the 17th century and is part of the academic tradition, particularly that of genre painting. Jean-Baptiste Greuze's figures, mainly female, are primarily the narrative vehicle for the historical works into which they are intended to be integrated. However, emotions gradually became the sole fictional element in the artist's work. The author shows how 'Greuzian' heads - sometimes considered decadent because of their overt lasciviousness and voluptuousness - ultimately acquired an autonomous status and became an artistic genre in their own right, maintained by collectors and perpetuated by a new generation of artists.