Amable Louis Claude Pagnest
French, 1790-1819
Portrait of Madame Forster, 1800's, early
graphite, wash, black chalk, and oil on unfinished canvas
35 7/8 x 28 3/4 in.
SBMA, Gift of Wright S. Ludington
1954.3
The same chair can be seen in this finished portrait by Pagnest, Le chevalier de Nanteuil-Lanorville (1754-1834), Administrateur général des Messageries royales"
RESEARCH PAPER
A detailed sketch on canvas for an oil portrait, using graphite, black chalk and a wash with the face meticulously painted in oils. The unfinished nature of the portrait suggests Pagnest may have been working on the painting at the time of his premature death in 1819.
Mme. Forster, a Swiss lived with her son François in Paris. He was an accomplished engraver, probably a friend of Pagnest and the first recorded owner of the sketch. 1 It then passed to printmaker Achille Martinet and later to his son who exhibited it at the Exposition de Paris in 1900. Afterwards it came on the Paris art market through the dealer R. Holzapfel. 2 In 1954 the portrait sketch was donated to The Donald Bear Memorial Collection of the SBMA by Mr. Wright S. Ludington. Mr. Bear was the museum's first director. (1940-1952).
Pagnest, a French portraitist lived most of his life in Paris where he was born and died just a few days short of his twenty-ninth birthday. He worked a scant fourteen years as a painter.
The noted French art historian Charles Blanc writing in 1863 laments that very little is known about Pagnest's life. However observation shows that he was a perfectionist, especially in his arrangements for posing a portrait. Once everything was placed to his satisfaction , he would not allow the slightest alteration in later sittings. In the case of the portrait of M. de Nanteuil he nailed the table, chair and even the boots of the sitter to the floor, where they stayed until the portrait was finished. 3
At the age of fifteen Pagnest studied with Girodet (1767-1824) 4 who was a former student and long time follower of David (1748-1825). Jacques Louis David was the most influential painter of his time in Europe. His severe classical style was the symbol for Neo-classicism an aspect of the Romantic (1750-1850). He taught his pupils "Truth first, then beauty". His painting the "Oath of Horatii" (1784) was acclaimed the most beautiful picture of the century, and the "Death of Marat" his greatest painting. The famed artist Delacroix (neo-Baroque 1793-1863) named David "The father of the modern school of painting and sculpture" (Nineteenth century). 5 Pagnest later studied with David and of the approximately four hundred students of Davids only six, including Pagnest were recognized as assistants and devoted followers. 6
The brilliant realistic head dominates the portrait of Mme. Forster. The expression is serene, almost haughty, yet warm and kindly. You sense her life has not been easy, that she has suffered but survived and triumphed over adversity. The face is in marked contrast to the rest of the canvas which is sketched freely with pencil outlines, dashes of black chalk, casual washes and shading plus some apparent doodles and scribbles, all held together by a pencilled grid. One horizontal line is marked "comble" possibly denoting the eye level of the viewer. Nevertheless this mixture of mediums forms a solid base for the fine head and gives the assurance of the artist's skill. The long flowing lines of the robe impart a softness in contrast with the hard edges of the chair. The stark white of the starched bonnet provides a natural border to the softer texture of the facial tones. The vertical trail of black glue along the left side of the canvas shows that two pieces were glued together. This indicates that the sketch may have been an exercise, or a gift to his friends the Forsters?
The overall style is very classical. The figure is solid, closed and centered with the head slightly tilted to the left, balanced by the hands on the right. This is an honest portrait typical of Pagnest's high quality work showing influence by his mentors David and Girodet.
No artist famous or otherwise escapes the critics. The very act of exhibiting invites comment and Pagnest is no exception. He has been accused of painting over elaborately finished portraits. 7 And it has been said that some of his paintings are so lifelike that they cannot be considered art. 8 It should be noted that portrait painting was a major endeavor and source of revenue therefore artists strove for reality, even if tinged with flattery on occasion. The camera, incidentally was not invented until 1826, seven years after Pagnest died.
During his short life Pagnest accomplished much. He was elected a member of the prestigious group "Maîtres de l'Ecole Française" and invited to show at the Paris Salon from 1814 on, 9 singular honours for one so young. His fourteen known paintings and many drawings are all in museums or famous collections, including two in The Louvre; Portrait of M.Nanteuil-Lanorville and of Le Général de Salle. Charles Blanc (Histoire des Peintres) referred to his paintings as "des chefs-d'oeuvres" i.e. "masterpieces". Theodore Guédy (Dictionnaire des Peintres) wrote that he had the potential and temperament of a master.
Even the unfinished work "Portrait of Mme. Forster", part sketch, part painting of an ordinary person, (i.e. not famous) has found a home with the permanent collection of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art where it is cherished and much admired when on exhibition.
Prepared for the SBMA Docent Council by Edward E. Forster April 1988.
FOOTNOTES
#1 BLANC Charles. Histoire des Peintres , Ecole Française, Vol. 3. Paris: Jules Renouard, 1863. pp. 46/47 .
#2 "European Drawings in The Collection of The Santa Barbara Museum of Art". SBMA ., 1976. pp. 78/79 .
#3 BLANC Charles. Histoire des Peintres , Ecole Française, Vol. 3. Paris: Jules Renouard, 1863. pp. 46/47 .
#4 Petit-Larousse de la Peinture , Vol. 2. Paris 1979. pp.1347.
#5 New International Encyclopedia of Art, Vol. 6. New York: Greystone Press, 1968. pp. 1258/9
#6 Leymaire JEAN. French Painting of the 19th Century. Translated from the French by James Emmons. 1962. pp-25/29
#7 Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers . Vol. 4. 1915. London: G. Bell and Son Ltd., p. 56.
#8 Montfor. Gazette des Beaux-Arts . Vol. 22. Paris, 1867. p. 479.
#9 Bénézit. Dictionnaire des Peintures, Sculptures, Designatures et Gravures , Nouvelle Edition. Vol. 8. Paris: Libraire Gründ. 1976. p. 83. Also Charles Blanc, listed above.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
American Art Association . New York. Illustrated Catalogue, March 1914, Lot 47. Portrait de M. de Nanteuil. UCSB Art Libr. Ref. 533.
Bellier-Auvray. Dictionnaire Général des Artistes . Vol. II. p. 190. Paris: Jules Renouard. 1882 - 1887.
Champlin John Denison. Cyclopedia of Painters and Paintings . Reprint Vol. 3. New York: Scribner, 1969. p. 383.
Dimier Louis. La Peinture Française au XIXe Siècle . Paris 1914.p.52.
Guédy Theo., Dictionnaire Univ. des Peintres . Paris:Impr.Typo.1892. p. 199.
Répetoire D'Art et D'Archéologie , Vol. 21/3. 1914/19. pp.103 and 407.
Thieme-Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildender Künstler . Vol.XXVI. Liepsig: Seeman. 1932. p.144.