Valentin de Boulogne (French, 1591–1632). The Judgement of Daniel, or The Innocence of Susanna, 1625. Oil on canvas; 68 7/8 x 83 in. Musée du Louvre, Paris (Inv. 8245)
«Remember theater in the round, the attempt to engage audiences more completely in the action occurring on the stage? Audience engagement was already something artists were thinking about in Caravaggio's day, and no one did so more innovatively than Valentin de Boulogne. His approach? Shared space—not unlike theater in the round. How did he achieve this end? By framing the scene as creatively as any modern photographer or filmmaker would.»
Look for the floor in a painting by Valentin: it's nowhere to be found, because he wants that imagined floor to be shared space with the viewer. Who else crops figures so unexpectedly as Valentin? No one until Degas, who took many of his own framing ideas from photography.
I'm reminded of something expressed many years ago by the great Italian critic Roberto Longhi. He characterized the revolution in painting initiated by Caravaggio as:
"direct painting," which is to say, not mediated by style . . . but rather by the capacity to choose from myriad possibilities the most lacerating and . . . dramatic frame in a film. A frame, however, not haphazardly captured by a camera . . . but by the volition of the inner eye.
As an example, take the painting shown at the top of this post, which will be on view in the upcoming exhibition Valentin de Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio. Here we see Susanna, who had been accused by two lechers who propositioned her (unsuccessfully) of having had an illicit affair. She had been brought before the young judge Daniel, who wisely uncovered the false testimony, thus proving her innocence. Valentin raises the curtain precisely at the moment of her vindication, with one of her two children looking out at us in our front-row seats.
Related Links
Valentin de Boulogne: Beyond Caravaggio, on view at The Met Fifth Avenue from October 7, 2016, through January 16, 2017