Louise Moillon (1610–1696) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

still life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

in the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

era. It is recorded that she became known as one of the best

painters of her time, as her work was purchased by

King Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after hi ...

, as well as French nobility. Louise Moillon is also known for her Flemish style that is present in her artwork. Moillon created about 40 artworks during her lifetime which are held in museums and private collections.

Life

Moillon was born into a strict

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

family in Paris in 1610. She grew up in St–Germain-des-Prés district of Paris, a district known as a safe haven for religiously persecuted Protestant refugees primarily from the southern Netherlands. This district was also known for its collection of traditional Netherlandish painters who could have attributed to the development of Moillon's painting style. Louise lived during the Baroque era of painting: a time where still-life painting was beginning to grow and thrive. However, still-life paintings especially thrived in the art market in Holland, and did not control the art market in France where Moillon resided. Louise Moillon had six siblings, one of whom was also a painter named Isaac Moillon, who obtained his education from the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Her father, Nicolas Moillon, was a landscape and portrait painter, art dealer, and member of the

Académie de Saint-Luc The Académie de Saint-Luc was the guild of painters and sculptors set up in Paris in 1391, and dissolved in 1776.Alfred Fierro (1996). ''Histoire et Dictionnaire de Paris''. Paris: Robert Laffont. It was set up by the Provost of Paris in 1391, a ...

. Moillon's mother, Marie Gilbert, was a daughter of a goldsmith. Moillon learned the basics of painting from her father, however he died when she was young. The following year, Moillon's mother remarried another painter and art dealer, Francois Garnier. Garnier continued to give Moillon lessons and expanded her art education although it is thought other people were instrumental in Moillon's art education. Louise Moillon married a timber merchant, Etienne Girardot, in the 1640s and did not paint as frequently after her marriage. She did not have any children of her own. The

Revocation Revocation is the act of recall or annulment. It is the cancelling of an act, the recalling of a grant or privilege, or the making void of some deed previously existing. A temporary revocation of a grant or privilege is called a suspension. Cont ...

Edict of Nantes in 1685 discriminated on any religion other than

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, forcing citizens of France to convert to Catholicism and Louise's family was greatly affected. It is thought Moillon's husband was sent to prison after he refused to convert to Catholicism. After the revocation, no records of Louise producing work have been found. Louise died in France in 1696 and was given a Catholic burial.

Painting style

Louise Moillon specialized in still-life painting, commonly using oil paint on canvas or wood panel. She also made works primarily containing fruits that were usually arranged on tables. Her work is characterized by stillness and acute detail, such as the texture of exotic fruit glowingly displayed against a dark background. She used '' Trompe l’oeil'' elements to give viewers an illusion and make her paintings realistic. Louise Moillon used ''

Trompe l'oeil A trompe is a water-powered air compressor, commonly used before the advent of the electric-powered compressor. A trompe is somewhat like an airlift pump working in reverse. Trompes were used to provide compressed air for bloomery furnaces ...

'' to give her still-lifes a lot of texture which further contribute to the realistic aspects and make her paintings relatable to pictures. Moillon additionally created ledges in her pieces that spread to the end of the picture frame to enhance the illusion. Although Moillon painted still-lifes, human figures sometimes appeared in the background of her pieces. Moillon was one of the first French still-life artists to combine figures and still-life before 1650 along with another painter named

Jacques Linard Jacques Linard (1597, Troyes - September 1645, Paris) was a French painter who specialized in still-lifes. Biography Linard was baptised on 6 September 1597. His first records of being of artist was in the 1620s. He was married in 1626 to the ...

. Moillon's style used elements from Flemish painting through use of ''

'' elements and the contrast of cool and warm toned colors along with aspects of French genre painting as shown through the compositional style of her paintings. Some of Louise Moillon's painting compositions have been described to have a primitive quality due to the way she arranges the fruit. The notion that Louise Moillon was highly regarded by her contemporaries is demonstrated by the writing of

Georges de Scudéry Georges de Scudéry (22 August 1601 – 14 May 1667), the elder brother of Madeleine de Scudéry, was a French novelist, dramatist and poet. Life Georges de Scudéry was born in Le Havre, in Normandy, whither his father had moved from Provence. H ...

(1646) who placed her name alongside the still-life painters

and

Peter van Boucle Peter van BoucleName variations: Peter van Boeckel, Pieter van Boeckel, Pierre van Boucle, Pieter van Boeckel, Pieter van Bouck, Pieter van Boucle, Pieter van Bouck, Pieter Boucle, Pierre van Boucle (between 1600 en 1610 (?), probably Antwerp - 1 ...

(Pieter van Boeckel), comparing all three to Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian. In 1641, she collaborated with Boucle and Linard on a large composition of fruit and flowers. The majority of Moillon's paintings were executed in the 1630s, before her marriage in 1640 to Etienne Girardot de Chancourt. Her last dated work is from 1674.

Gallery of works

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moillon, Louise 1609 births 1696 deaths French Baroque painters French women painters 17th-century French women artists