diary of a confused femme

Georges de la Tour, Saint Joseph the Carpenter, 1638-1645, Louvre, Paris

Within French Caravaggism, the Lorraine region is embodied by Georges de La Tour, a rather unique figure who developed a highly personal style inspired by the Caravaggesque scheme but with a tendency towards the geometrization of volumes. His early work shows a dual Italian and Dutch influence, then his style evolved towards something more personal during the last decade of his life. From 1639 to 1641, he undertook a trip to Paris that would mark this new artistic period, which he would continue upon his return to Lorraine until his death in 1652. This end of his career is notably characterized by a drastic reduction in his color palette.

Johann Heinrich Füssli, Robin Goodfellow, known as Puck, oil on canvas, 107.5 x 84 cm, 1787–90, Schaffhausen, Museum zu Allerheiligen

It has been said that Fuseli was the "Shakespeare of painting," and it is true that the artist made his painting a theatrical genre. Familiar from a young age with the texts o the English playwright, it was only in London, from 1764 onward, that Fuseli had a concrete experience of the theater. If we disregard the dramatic way in which the artist plays with light or on chiaroscuro contrasts, his paintings do not merely depict theatrical performances; they are in themselves "a stage scene."

While Fuseli borrowed from Garrick and the other actors he saw on stage their way of translating passions into facial expressions and gestures, he also succeeded in giving the protagonists of his paintings an existence of their own. He knows how to express their way of being and acting, always emphasizing the body and gesture, and transcribes their fears, their affliction or their anger.

Among the nine paintings that Füssli painted between 1786 and 1790 for the Shakespeare Gallery, founded in London by John Boydell, were three scenes from A Midsummer Night's Dream. With the character of Puck, Shakespeare revisits one of the most popular fantastic creatures in British mythology.

Originally, Puck had a negative connotation; he was a goblin, but Shakespeare made him a sympathetic figure: the fool of Oberon, the king of the elves, and one of the first protagonists to appear on stage.

Fuseli chose to depict one of the mischiefs traditionally attributed to Puck: at night, he leads drunken travelers astray. Puck appears here as a spirit with two bat wings spread wide. The painter portrays him from a low angle, in a marked foreshortening. Surrounded by a luminous halo, Puck seems to burst forth like lightning, proud of his deed. His trick is complete: a triumphant smile on his lips, he performs his magic trick with his left hand and looks down at a rider caught in the swirling waves, struggling to stay on his terrified mount. A fairy is amused by this misfortune, while a moth, a monk in a brown robe, and a gnome playing his flute watch the scene.

David, Belisarius Receiving Alms, oil on canvas, 1781, Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts

Francisco de ZURBARAN, Saint Francis in Ecstasy, 1640, oil on canvas, 152x99cm, National Gallery, London

There is a great simplicity in the composition of this work, with an essentially geometric play of forms. Saint Francis focuses on the idea of ​​death by holding a skull against him. The powerful chiaroscuro of the composition clearly illustrates the influence of Caravaggio on the artist's work and leads to plunging the saint's face into darkness: it is difficult to identify Saint Francis. The composition demonstrate the importance placed on the description of the rough textures of the sackcloth robe, which evokes the austerity of his existence.

Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1612-13, oil on canvas, 158x125cm, Naples, Capodimonte

The great particularity of Judith's character lies in the exercise of violence, which is a masculine prerogative. Indeed, Judith does not hesitate to seize Holofernes' scimitar. Her character is therefore pervaded by gender issues that belong to the masculine realm.

Judith first assumes an eminently political symbolism : in Quattrocento Florence, she embodies the struggle of republics against tyranny, the struggle of the weak against the power of the strong. She draws her own strength from her faith and rises up in rebellion while the rest of her people resign themselves.

Gentileschi creates a very dramatic, very famous version of the theme. She seeks to depict a genuine physical struggle between the characters. Indeed, the servant deviates from tradition and does not wait outside the tent, but assists Judith by weighing down Holofernes.

Gentileschi uses herself as a model for the figure of Judith, which allows her to depict women with naturalism. Holofernes is depicted as Agostino Tassi, her rapist in a cathartic expression of Gentileschi's anger