Boucher: The Rising and Setting of the Sun
Immerse yourself in two captivating masterpieces by François Boucher at the Wallace Collection.
Picture of Boucher Paintings on the Landing (2022) by Wallace CollectionThe Wallace Collection
François Boucher, a favorite artist of Madame de Pompadour, exemplified the Rococo style with his pastel hues and light touch. His paintings graced the residences of the influential mistress, several of which are now preserved at the Wallace Collection.
The Rising and Setting of the Sun are painted on canvas stretched over a wooden frame. These paintings would have taken many months to complete and Boucher would have been helped by a team of pupils in his studio who might paint some of the background and less important details as part of their training.
These magnificent paintings are displayed above the grand staircase in Hertford House. They were actually created as designs for tapestries hung in the Château de Bellevue, home of Madame de Pompadour, official mistress of King Louis XV of France.
The Rising of the Sun (1753) by François BoucherThe Wallace Collection
The central figure in both paintings is the god Apollo; he is getting ready for his daily journey across the sky bearing the sun in his golden chariot.
We see Aurore rising in the brightening sky.
A red cloth flutters around the young God’s body, turning his head towards Aurore, as if measuring the distance to be accomplished.
A sea god rises from the waves blowing a conch shell to awaken the world.
The sea and sky are filled with frolicking infant putti (winged cherubs) who at sunrise push back the dark clouds of night above Apollo’s head.
The Tritons in the foreground of rising of the sun are courting the nerieds, offering them magnificent shells and ignoring Apollo as he floats into the sky.
The Setting of the Sun (1752) by François BoucherThe Wallace Collection
In Setting of the Sun, Apollo, still bathed in light, descends from his chariot and offers an arm to Thetis, who carried in a shell on the crest of a wave looks at him tenderly. Above them, the heavy cloak of night descends.
The Putti at sunset pull them back again to cover the sky while the first star of evening appears.
The presence of cupids contribute to the unsolemn atmosphere and give them a certain simplicity. A small cupid reaches out towards the foot of Apollo, as if to help him off his chariot.
Beside him, another cupid flees, scared by the horses and the triton that restrains them.
In both paintings the soft pink and blue palette reflects the colours of the sea, sky and clouds at dawn and dusk.
Boucher has succeeded in giving the actions of these supernatural creatures a familiar air. The same joyful agitation and disorder that is found in pastorals is also found in these paintings.
The Rising of the Sun (1753) by François BoucherThe Wallace Collection
It takes a rare inventive power to give substance to something that is in essence fleeting and ambiguous: the passage from day to night, night to day the mixture of air, water and light.
The playful figures and fantastical scenes in Boucher's paintings transport the viewer to a world of imagination, inviting you to lose yourself in the joyful chaos.
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