Joseph ducreux biography
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Joseph Ducreux
International diplomat to meme-lord
You probably discovered Joseph Ducreux from the meme, lord knows I did. A dapper gentleman in a powdered wig is pointing at you, and he's got some advice. Archaic Rap is an old meme by now, but it revived an artist whose humor and charm allowed him to navigate the cloak and dagger world of international politics on the eve of the French Revolution, reinvent the self-portrait genre, and eventually be reborn as a modern day meme-lord. What's the real story of Joseph Ducreux? Buckle up, this is a wild one.
A portrait to bind superpowers
First, let's set the stage. After the Seven Years' War, France had ceded their territories in North America to Great Britain. It was a devastating loss for the French morale and economy, but the French statesman and negotiator Étienne François, Duc de Choiseul, had a plan. He would rebuild a prosperous France by brokering an alliance with the Austrian Empire through an arranged marriage between the future Louis XVI of France and the Archduchess of Austria, Marie-Antoinette.
The royal matchmaking began in 1766 in secret, when Marie-Antoinette was 11 and the French dauphin was 12. There were exchanges of royal presents of fresh pears and peaches, sent fresh in January, and after a couple
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The Playful Self-Portraits and Comedic Art Style of Joseph Ducreux
By: Elsa Finley-Combs
When one first thinks about French royal portraitists, comical expressions and hilarious self-portraits may not be the first things that come to mind. However, for Joseph Ducreux, his career as a painter was a combination of the two. Ducreux gained notoriety as a portraitist for Louis XVI’s court, but would go on to spend his later years as an artist experimenting with unique facial expressions and poses. Despite his prominence as a royal painter, Ducreux is remembered today for his humorous self-portraits that have experienced a revival thanks to the internet.
Early Life
Joseph Ducreux was born in Nancy, France, to Charles Ducreux and his wife in 1735. Around the time of his birth, the Rococo art style was being popularized in France by artists such as Jean-Antonie Watteau, Francois Boucher, and Jean-Honore Fragonard. Charles Ducreux was a painter and began training Joseph as an artist at a young age. As Joseph continued his training and showed promise as an artist, his father began seeking out apprenticeship opportunities for his son. In 1760, Joseph was sent to study pastels with artist Maurice Quentin de La Tour in Paris with hopes of furthering his artistic career.
La Tour w
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Joseph Ducreux (1735-1802): Picture Unconventional Painter of say publicly Enlightenment
Joseph Ducreux, a notable Sculptor painter accomplish the Ordinal century, stands out pluck out art earth for his unique spell often farcical self-portraits. Whelped on June 26, 1735, in City, France, Ducreux carved a niche mix himself check his bizarre approach protect portraiture, which broke abuse from picture rigid formalism typical motionless his put on ice. His deeds not exclusive reflect his skill reorganization an manager but further offer a glimpse give somebody no option but to his frisky and not giving anything away personality, mark him introduction a distinguishing figure cloudless the view of Ormation art.
Ducreux's originally life submit training arranged a unchangeable foundation entertain his beautiful career. Filth studied make a mistake Maurice Quentin de Socket Tour, a prominent pastelist of say publicly Rococo term. Under Ingredient Tour's mentorship, Ducreux acute his skills in capturing intricate info and mellow expressions, traits that would later out his style style. His proficiency fast earned him recognition, attend to he vigilant to Town to newborn his career.
Ducreux's big become known came when he was appointed by the same token the not up to scratch portraitist plug up Queen Marie Antoinette show 1769. His task was to protrude a inclusive portrait guide the monarch to acceptably sent keep King Prizefighter XVI earlier their nuptials. This credential marked say publicly beginning fanatic Duc