Jean-Frédéric Schall, also Frédéric-Jean, Challe or Chall (14 March 1752 – 24 March 1825) was a French painter who specialized in

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

scenes and portraits.

Biography

He was born in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

. In 1772, after receiving his initial training at the "École publique de dessin de Strasbourg", he went to Paris. There, he was able to enroll at the École royale des élèves protégés under the sponsorship of Nicolas Guy Brenet, and entered the studios of Francesco Casanova; completing his studies in 1777. He had several patrons, including , Jean-Georges Wille and Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne. In addition to Casanova, he studied with Nicolas-René Jollain (1775) and Nicolas-Bernard Lépicié (1776 and 1779).Emmanuel Bénézit, ''Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays'', R. Roger et F. Chernoviz, 1919, Vol.3 In 1776, he produced his first major works, in the

galant style The galant style was an 18th-century movement in music, visual arts and literature. In Germany a closely related style was called the '' empfindsamer Stil'' (sensitive style). Another close relative is rococo style. The galant style was drawn in ...

of Fragonard and Debucourt. In 1778, they were produced as color engravings by . He rapidly became a favorite painter among the high society of his time. Many of his works are fêtes galantes featuring actors, dancers and powerful men with their mistresses, engaged in frivolous activities. He entered the service of Christian IV, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken, and created works for his "Secret Museum". Many were of a risqué or lascivious nature. Some were turned into engravings by Gabriel Marchand (c. 1755-18?). Among his later patrons from Strasbourg was the piano maker,

Sébastien Érard Sébastien Érard (; 5 April 1752 – 5 August 1831) was a French instrument maker who specialised in the production of pianos and harps, developing the capacities of both instruments and pioneering the modern piano. Biography Érard was born i ...

. Despite the variety of his works, and their focus, he described himself as a "history painter". His works have also been compared to those of Watteau. In 1787, he married Marie-Catherine Naudé. During the Directory, due to his association with the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

he, his wife and children lived in the staircase of a chapel in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

. Later they lived in the phalanstery at the ruins of the

Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The co ...

. Once the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

had taken a more settled form, he emerged to continue painting, but had to devote himself to more austere, patriotic themes. These included children kissing the feet of

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

and the heroic actions of

William Tell William Tell (, ; ; ; ) is a legendary folk hero of Switzerland. He is known for shooting an apple off his son's head. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, ...

.Société d’études et de publications économiques, ''Connaissance des arts'', 1954, Vol.23-34. The Revolution did not, however, change people's tastes, so he returned to his previous themes as soon as possible. This time, he used mythology as a pretext for painting naked women in bucolic scenes.''Petits Théâtres de l’intime : La Peinture de genre française entre Révolution et Restauration''
Online
Toulouse,

Musée des Augustins The Musée des Augustins de Toulouse () is a fine arts museum in Toulouse, France which conserves a collection of sculpture and paintings from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. The paintings are from throughout France, the sculptures rep ...

. Schall had major showings at the Salons of 1793, 1798 and 1806. He died in Paris on 24 March 1825. As one might suppose, many of his works were unsigned and, during the 19th century, were variously attributed to Fragonard, Antoine-François Callet and Jean-Baptiste Huet. Some of his early works were signed "Challe", possibly to take advantage of the popularity of Charles-Michel-Ange Challe. Eventually, these problems were sorted out and it is now believed that most of his works have been properly attributed.

Selected paintings

File:Heroism of Wilhelm Tell mg 0097.jpg, The Heroism of

File:La Frayeur maternelle, première partie.jpg, The Mother's Fright File:Schall-Mischievous.png, The Mischievous Ones File:Morgentoilet Rijksmuseum SK-A-3260.jpeg, Morning Toilette File:Schall, Frederic - Zephyr Crowning Flora -.jpg,

Zephyrus In Greek mythology and religion, Zephyrus () (), also spelled in English as Zephyr (), is the god and personification of the West wind, one of the several wind gods, the Anemoi. The son of Eos (the goddess of the dawn) and Astraeus, Zephyrus is t ...

Crowning

Flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

References

External links

Jean-Frédéric Schall
@ the Base Joconde
More works by Schall
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Schall, Jean-Frederic 1752 births 1825 deaths 18th-century French painters French genre painters Painters from Strasbourg French portrait painters 19th-century French painters

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links