Biography of the artist Lyotar

Jean-Etienne Lyotar.

Before us is the pastel of the artist Jean-Etienne Lyotar "Chocolate". This small graphic work is now stored in the Dresden Gallery. When visitors see her, everyone is surprised that she is very small. Looking at the reproduction, you imagine a satisfied large canvas, more human height. In fact, the picture is drawn by pastel on parchment, and not written in oil paints on canvas, as one might think.

But back to what I started. Everyone knows this picture, but few can name the name of the artist. It just so happened that Jean-Etienne Lyotar, who, during his lifetime, was a rather famous artist, recognized master of pastel, a fashionable portrait, then somehow went into the shadow. Meanwhile, his work is remarkable. They are habitually attributed to the Rococo style, but I personally do not see anything such "rocker" in them.

Admire at least a landscape showing the look under the female one. This is also a pastel. It is clear that the artist drew from nature, and the head of a passerby suspiciously reminiscent of a self -portrait in the left corner of the picture emphasizes the fact that the master literally stopped the moment. It seems to me that in the landscape there is something from the paintings of the impressionists who will be born only a hundred years after the creation of this work?

Now this pastel is stored in the Amsterdam Reachsmuseum. In Geneva, he developed his own business, so Jean Etienne grew, not knowing the need. He studied with different artists, and his skills of a miniaturist and drawingman hone his skill in Paris. Then he very handy the patron of the patron in the person of the Marquis Puyuzier, who was appointed envoy to Naples and took the young artist to his retinue.

To be in Italy for Lyotar was the gift of heaven. He moved to Rome and here, despite wild competition, managed to make himself a name as a wonderful portrait. As a confirmation, I give a portrait of Francois Tronkhin, he is now in the Krivnd Museum of Fine Arts. Having lived in Italy, Lyotar went to Constantinople, where he lived for five years. He was so imbued with Turkish culture that he began to dress and behave like a Turk.

He wrote many paintings on the eastern theme and gained fame as a guidelist. One of the paintings of this cycle in front of you. By the way, it is written in oil on canvas. In a Turkish suit, Lyotar arrived in Vienna, where he was accepted very affably at the royal court. Aristocrats literally stood in line to order his portrait to him. He wrote them, and also made several portraits of Maria Teresa.

After Vienna, Lyotar arrived in Paris and again hit the royal chambers. Then he painted the Marquis de Pompadur, after which there was no end to the court beauties who dreamed of being captured by him. But I must say that the fluid method of work did not benefit the artist. Soon he left the frivolous French court, left for England, and then returned to Geneva, where he died, ensuring immortality, at least one of his work - a beautiful "chocolate".