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Artist: Duvivier, Thomas-Germain-Joseph 1 of 1
An Architect's Table, 1772

Thomas-Germain-Joseph Duvivier
French, 1735-1814
Oil on canvas
40-3/8 x 31 in. (102.6 x 78.7 cm)
Norton Simon Art Foundation
M.1976.02.P
© 2012 Norton Simon Art Foundation

On view

One of the most talented pupils of Chardin, Duvivier began to exhibit still lifes at the Salon in 1761. In this painting we see the tools of an architect who loved Greek architecture. The plans are for a neoclassical building and were probably inspired by the Greek capital and door design on the architect's table. The composition is a rich harmony of shapes, textures and tones. Duvivier has intentionally distorted the perspective of the capital and the inkbottle to emphasize the strong diagonal lines of the composition, leading the eye across the table, along the line of the ruler, to the drawing of the ancient doorway.

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Artist: Duvivier, Thomas-Germain-Joseph 1 of 1