NARRATOR:
By the late 1700s, scenes from everyday life were often played out on the epic scale usually reserved for history painting. This magnificent view by Hubert Robert shows the cloister of the Augustinian nuns in Paris. Large Gothic arches dwarf the sisters as they go about their chores, suggesting, perhaps, the dominant role of the church in their lives.
A strong late afternoon light washes across the scene, picking out charming vignettes of daily life. At the top of the steps, for example, a nun scrubs her laundry at the fountain… in front of the railing, a cat sunbathes on the drying linens. Nearby, steam rises from a cauldron of boiling water. Muted browns, grays and blues dominate, contributing to the air of dignity and silent grandeur.
A master of perspective, Robert may have enlarged the scale of the architecture here—a pictorial trick he gleaned from Piranesi, his famous Italian contemporary, who was known for his spectacular engravings of ancient ruins. The two met during Robert’s long stay in Rome, where he reveled in depicting contemporary Italian life. Robert later returned to France, where he documented in intricate detail the transformation of Paris and life during the French Revolution.
The Cloister of the Augustinian Nuns
late 18th century
Hubert Robert (French, 1733-1808)
On View
Hubert Robert went to Rome in 1754, reveling in the archeological fever and great intellectual ferment that followed the discovery of Herculaneum and Pompeii. No doubt Robert’s inclination toward subjects depicting architectural fantasies and ruins was further nurtured through his studies with Giovanni Paolo Pannini and his warm acquaintance with Giovanni Battista Piranesi.
The Cloister of the Augustinian Nuns reveals Robert’s delight in describing the long, perspectival recession of the arcade, and the wash of light that gives a strong diagonal accent to the canvas. Several preparatory drawings exist for the nuns shown going about their chores. This and other genre elements, such as the cat sunning itself on a blanket and the kettle on the fire, contribute to the picturesque aesthetic so beloved in the eighteenth century.
Details
- Artist Name: Hubert Robert (French, 1733-1808)
- Title: The Cloister of the Augustinian Nuns
- Date: late 18th century
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 51-1/4 x 41-3/8 in. (130.2 x 105.1 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1981.2.P
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Vicomte G. Chabert (sale, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 5 June 1909, lot 10, ill., as Le Cloître, for Ff 9,500, to);
Jonas, buying for;
Mr. Charley.
le Comte Etienne de J., by 1922.
Société “Styles” (sale, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 4 December 1922, lot 19, ill., as Le Cloître, for Ff 24,000, to);
Revel.
Montesquiou;
Comtesse de Chavagnac;
Descent of Montesquiou-Fezensac, sold 1979 to;
[Galerie Cailleux, Geneva, sold 12 May 1981, in partnership with E. V. Thaw & Co., Inc., New York, to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Jonas, buying for;
Mr. Charley.
le Comte Etienne de J., by 1922.
Société “Styles” (sale, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 4 December 1922, lot 19, ill., as Le Cloître, for Ff 24,000, to);
Revel.
Montesquiou;
Comtesse de Chavagnac;
Descent of Montesquiou-Fezensac, sold 1979 to;
[Galerie Cailleux, Geneva, sold 12 May 1981, in partnership with E. V. Thaw & Co., Inc., New York, to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Exposition Hubert Robert et Louis Moreau, au bénéfice du foyer des infirmières de la Croix-Rouge et des Infirmières visiteuses
- Paris, Galeries Jean Charpentier, 1922-06 to 1922-06
Hubert Robert (1733-1808): Dessins et peintures
- Galerie Cailleux, 1979-10-30 to 1979-12-15
Reinstallation of Galleries: Art History of the 17th and 18th Century Gains Fresh Dimension
- Norton Simon Museum, 1993-09-02 to 1995-08-13
- Isarlo, Georges, Connaisance des arts, 1953, nos. 3-14
- Caileux, Jean, Un album de croquis d'Hubert Robert, 1979, nos. 66, 69
- Cayeux, Jean de, Les Hubert Robert de la Collection Veyrnc au Musée de Valence, 1985, fig. 64 p. 198
- Masterpieces from the Norton Simon Museum, 1989, p. 100
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1682 p. 434
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