
Louise Moillon
Lesley Stevenson(Author)
Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd
Published on 15. April 2024
Book
Hardback
112 pages
978-1-84822-491-9 (ISBN)
Description
Belonging to the wider circle of Calvinist exiles from Catholic Flanders working in the Saint-Germain des-Pres area of Paris, Moillon was the sole female practitioner of a group that included Sebastien Stosskopf, Jacques Linard, and Lubin Baugin. Louise Moillon reassesses the importance of this painter of still-life (and occasional genre) paintings through a consideration of the context in which she was working; the centrality of the genre of still life in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres area of Paris in the earlier part of the seventeenth century; and provides close visual analyses of her works.
Moillon offers a useful case study of a supremely talented artist whose relative posthumous invisibility may be explained by three key features: her gender; the genre of still life at which she excelled but which became increasingly overlooked after the foundation of the French Academie royale in 1648; and a change in her domestic role after her marriage, when she produced fewer works. This book questions some of the ways in which Moillon's story has been represented since the beginnings of the revival of interest in her work in the early twentieth century. In particular, it draws on more recent scholarship which grants early modern women from Moillon's social class greater agency than was previously assumed and grants her a rightful place alongside her male contemporaries.
Moillon offers a useful case study of a supremely talented artist whose relative posthumous invisibility may be explained by three key features: her gender; the genre of still life at which she excelled but which became increasingly overlooked after the foundation of the French Academie royale in 1648; and a change in her domestic role after her marriage, when she produced fewer works. This book questions some of the ways in which Moillon's story has been represented since the beginnings of the revival of interest in her work in the early twentieth century. In particular, it draws on more recent scholarship which grants early modern women from Moillon's social class greater agency than was previously assumed and grants her a rightful place alongside her male contemporaries.
Reviews / Votes
'Stevenson's study illustrates the innovative strategies that are required to complete women's art histories when the official record leaves so many gaps to be filled. The book's accessibility - in language, length and level of prior knowledge required - broadens its possible reach beyond an academic audience and is a welcome addition to scholarship on seventeenth-century French art production and the women whose careers must be included in this story.' - Tori Champion, The Burlington MagazineMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
Illustrations; 40 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 201 mm
Width: 257 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
674 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84822-491-9 (9781848224919)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Lesley Stevenson has a PhD from the Courtauld Institute of Art on 'Modernism, Still Life and Cezanne' and currently teaches in the School of Art, Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University. Her previous publications include monographs on Gauguin, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and Manet. Her research focuses on the genre of still life in painting and photography.
Content
Introduction; 1 In Search of Louise Moillon; 2 Genre; 3 Gender; 4 Genius; Conclusion; Chronology; Bibliography