Art critic

Art critic and Living room at the XVIIIème century

One hardly has information on the visitors of the Living rooms organized by the Academy, if not an extrapolation based on the fact that exposed works were especially intended “to contribute to the majesty of the temples and the magnificence of the palates”, therefore the two very privileged categories of the old mode: clergy and the nobility, other than the third state.

The Living rooms were the subject of comments in Gallant Mercury , created in 1672, and which will become later Mercure de France . One retains especially the name of Diderot (1713-1784) as advised commentator of the Living rooms of the French Academy of painting and sculpture, during more than twenty years (of 1759 to 1781). But the Histoire of art considers also Jean-Baptiste Dubos (1670-1742), known as also the abbot Of the Boss, like precursor of the art critic with critical Réflexions on poetry and painting (1718-1719) like, later, Etienne Does It of Saint-Yenne (1688-1771) in Reflections on some causes of the state present of painting in France (1747) and English William Hazlitt (1778-1830) and her One Pleasure off Painting ( Of the Pleasure of painting ) (1820).

art critic at the XIXème century

In addition, starting from second half of the XIXe century, the freedom of the press and technological advances of the printing works of texts and images allow an important development of the newspapers and illustrated reviews. Moreover, of new Living rooms appear, competing with the national Living room of the Academy, with the “Salon of refused the” of 1863 in first. The development of industry and the trade involves an increase in the national wealth which profits with a greater number of people, of which some wish to sit their new statute by the acquisition of works of art and seek information to forge an opinion.

At the beginning of this XIXe century, they are especially writers who are made pocket money by publishing their comments. Let us not forget that there is one Living room per annum, that of the Academy of painting and it is not obvious to find what there to maintain the public during all the year. Thus the review the Artist , founded in 1831, republishes texts of Diderot, in particular those devoted to the Living rooms of 1759 and 1763. Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), under the pseudonym “Baudelaire Dufaÿs”, at the beginning of its literary career, writes a long study on the Living room of 1845, like on that of 1846. One also meets Théophile Gautier, the Jules brothers and Edmond de Goncourt, Champfleury and Eugene Fromentin.

During the century, the art critic will also continue in her modern form with Emile Zola (simultaneously with its relation with Paul Cézanne) and Joris-Karl Huysmans. Thus it is set up gradually. But it is necessary to await the end of the XIXe century to see appearing specialized journalists in this field. The multiplication of the Living rooms, the expansion of the art galleries and the concept of exposure set of themes approached by the museums supported the development of it.

Contemporary art critic

For this period, the role of the Police chief of exposure and critic have been often interchangeable. The professionalisation of the networks of exposure and sale of contemporary art returned the role of the fundamental critics for the economic viability of the artists, who also profit from the press coverage ensured by the press attachés of the galleries where they are represented.