A Portrait of Madame Pompadour
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For someone who knows nothing about the French Rococo style might think that A Portrait of Madame Pompadour is another portrait of some rich lady painted long ago. However, the portrait represents more than money and fame. It celebrates the success of an unlikely woman and incorporates the beauty of Boucher's artistic methods.
The woman in the painting is Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, the chief mistress of Louis XV. Known modernly as an undesirable title, Madame de Pompadour took the name and made it her own. She commissioned François Boucher to paint a number of her portraits, and her fame grew within French royalty.
Boucher uses blue and pink, both popular colors of the Rococo style, to catch the attention of the viewer and direct it to the most important part of the portrait, the dress. They contrast with the gold curtains positioned next to the woman, creating this center focus on her. Boucher uses light to further focus the attention on the woman by shining the light from the window to focus on the woman's chest and face. Her pale skin shines. She sits in a relaxed position, looking away from the viewer, creating an air of importance about herself. The dog beneath her represents a symbol of loyalty, fidelity, yet its use seems ironic considering it's featured in a portrait of a mistress.
I was attracted to the slightly curved lines. The lines create the intricate ruffles of the dress, a beautiful way to bring its elegance to life. My eyes follow the ruffles of the dress and notice that they form a triangle at the bottom of the dress. Each line directs your attention to a different part of the woman's body. After looking at the portrait so many times, I realized that the background is actually a mirror, yet it does not picture the artist. The exclusion of the artist from the painting further proves the point that the mistress is the only focus.
Although the portrait focuses on the importance of the woman, Boucher's famous use of a blue tarp in most of his paintings serves as a signature of his and informs the viewer that this work is his own.
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