<a href="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Venus.jpg"><img src="http://jeanatacc.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Venus-230x300.jpg" alt="Venus" width="230" height="300" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-3495" /></a>



Francois Boucher was born in Paris, most famous for his Rococo style paintings. One of these paintings, “Venus Consoling Love” painted in 1751, which depicts Venus the goddess of love, disciplining her son Cupid. The painting was originally made for Madame de Pompadour and was hung in the restroom of her  Château. 
During this time period King Louis XI was king and his mistress Jeanne Antoinette Poisson fell in love with Boucher's work and he created paintings of her. The two became fairly close and this gained him favor from the King. 

According to his biography, Francis’s work reflect his inspiration from early artist Watteau and Ruben. His paintings portrayed “nature and landscape” as well as “eroticism.” As I said before Boucher’s painting reflects the Rococo style art because of the soft colors and 
During this time period it was said that “only male models were allowed to model nude in front of male artists.” Boucher was known to have used prostitutes in his paintings; both of these were  unacceptable for this time period and went against the Christian norm.

He received many awards for his art work. During this time King Louis XI was king and his mistress Madame de Pompadour fell in love with Bouchers work and he created paintings of her. The two became fairly close and this gained him favor from the King. As quoted from Heilbrun's Time History, During this time he also held the two highest positions possible in the French Art Establishment, First painter to the king as well as Director of the Royal Academy. Unfortunately not everyone loved his work. Some people thought of his work as too explicit, including French philosopher Diderot who is said to have labeled his work as “over-nate, empty and immoral.” 

In a blog published August 11, 2011 by Ola Robins, Robin expresses that his work, “while entertaining and comical were not exclusively geared toward the ruling class.” There is not much difference on how people viewed the art in that time compared to now. There are those like Madame Pompadour who absolutely loved his work and those like Ms. Robbins who can appreciate the art, feels that it was not appropriate for the time period.

I find this particular painting unique because it shows and tells a story of a goddess and her love for her son Cupid. It shows purity, beauty, and gives the feeling of pure happiness. This is particularly meaningful because it gives hope that there is a such thing as joy and colorfulness. It gives the image of a time where there were no worries, and I believe the nakedness of the characters give the feeling of innocence. 

There are other paintings during this time period of the similar “Rococo” style. One painting that can be specifically compared to Boucher’s “Venus Consoling Love” is, the “Embarkation for Cythera by Jean Antoine Watteau. 
 His painting can be compared to Bouchers because of the happy mood, colors, and nature landscape. In an article titles “The Rococo Movement, published by the PBH Network, it is written that “Jean is considered to be the father of Rococo movement and that he influenced other artist with his mastery.” 

Boucher’s “Venus Consoling Love” should be preserved because of its Rococo style with all the vibrant colors also it represents purity, love and beauty. With his different style of using the unclothed Venus and cupid it brings something different to the table.








			         



     Work Cited



Biography of Francois Boucher http://www.francoisboucher.org/biography.html


Quail Hollow 365 Blog Highlights
http://www.quailhollow365.com/blog/2011/08/artwork-of-the-day-francois-bouchers-venus-consoling-love/

The Rococo Movement: Jeane Antoine Watteau, 1684 – 1721 AllThatIsInteresting.com