Note to Self: Valentin Is in the Details
Valentin de Boulogne (French, 1591–1632). Samson (detail), ca. 1630. Oil on canvas; 55 1/8 x 40 7/16 in. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund (1972.50)
«As I traveled around Europe and the United States over the past three years with fellow curator Annick Lemoine, making contacts and examining pictures for the upcoming exhibition Valentin de Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio, I found myself time and again drawn into this artist's pictures by a face, a gesture, or a confrontation between two people. Suddenly his pictures begin to morph from the distant 17th century to today, grabbing you and taking you into their world.»
Here are some details of heads and hands to give you an idea of what I mean. The first (above), we can now assert with a fair degree of certainty, is Valentin portraying himself in the role of the biblical hero Samson, captured in an uncharacteristic moment of reflection. (He had just slain 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey!) I took this detail photo during the cleaning of the picture in preparation for the exhibition. Note the change in the position of the figure's left eye!
He was 36 when he finished this work and already a fabulous artist. Truly one of the greats.
A child, lost in thought, while the rest of the adult company plays on. Valentin de Boulogne (French, 1591–1632). Concert with a Bas-Relief (detail), 1622–25. Oil on canvas; 68 1/8 x 84 1/4 in. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Inv. 8253)
What's in your hand? Valentin de Boulogne (French, 1591–1632). Soldiers Playing Cards and Dice (The Cheats) (detail), ca. 1618/1620. Oil on canvas; 47 5/8 x 59 7/8 in. The National Gallery, Washington, D.C., Patrons' Permanent Fund (1998. 104.1)
On the left, a child totally committed to singing while a woman accompanies him on a spinet. How about his delicately folded hands? On the right, Valentin, the master of gesture, catches two musicians who seem unaware of the "snapshot" being captured. Valentin de Boulogne (French, 1591–1632). A Concert (two detail views), ca. 1628. Oil on canvas; 69 x 85 1/8 in. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Inv. 8252)
Two children wonder why their mother has been dragged before a judge; one turns to ask us why. Valentin de Boulogne (French, 1591–1632). The Judgement of Daniel, or The Innocence of Susanna (detail), 1625. Oil on canvas; 68 7/8 x 83 in. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Inv. 8245)
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Valentin de Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio, on view at The Met Fifth Avenue from October 7, 2016, through January 16, 2017
Keith Christiansen
Keith Christiansen, John Pope-Hennessy Chairman of the Department of European Paintings, began work at the Met in 1977, and during that time he has organized numerous exhibitions ranging in subject from painting in fifteenth-century Siena, Andrea Mantegna, and the Renaissance portrait, to Giambattista Tiepolo, El Greco, Caravaggio, Ribera, and Nicolas Poussin. He has written widely on Italian painting and is the recipient of several awards. Keith has also taught at Columbia University and New York University's Institute of Fine Art. Raised in Seattle, Washington, and Concord, California, he attended the University of California campuses at Santa Cruz and Los Angeles, and received his PhD from Harvard University.