Chocolate story picture. Painting Chocolate Girl - pastel colors in the Dresden Gallery
Swiss artist J.-E. Lyotard was called "the painter of kings and beautiful women". Everything in his life was made up of happy accidents and circumstances that talented artist, gifted to the same practical mind, skillfully took advantage.
At one time, the family of J.-E. Lyotara was forced to emigrate from France to Geneva. Future artist at one time he studied in Paris with the engraver and miniaturist Masse. Then in the life of J.-E. Liotard began years of wandering, during which he visited many cities and countries. He traveled as a companion of noble people, as many artists of the 18th century often had to do.
Travel gave J.-E. Lyotard is a diverse material for observations and has accustomed him to almost documentary accuracy of sketches. For portraits J.-E. Lyotard is characterized by exceptional accuracy in the reproduction of the model, and this is precisely what the artist gained European fame for himself and acquired high patrons. He met with a warm welcome from the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa in Vienna, and from the Pope in Rome, and from Turkish Sultan in Constantinople. Everyone liked the portraits of J.-E. Lyotard is the similarity of faces, the completeness in the image of the materials of clothing and jewelry, and the colorfulness of his canvases.
Portrait of the beautiful Anna Baltauf, world-famous under the name "Chocolate Girl" (French "La belle chocoladiere") and countless times copied and engraved (located in Dresden gallery) was written in Vienna.
Most likely, Anna was a servant at the court of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, where the painter noticed the girl. Anna, the daughter of an impoverished knight, served as a maid at court.
They say that it was there that the young Prince Dietrichstein noticed her beauty.
He fell in love and - to the dismay of the aristocracy - married her.
As wedding gift Prince Dietrichstein ordered Jean Etienne Lyotard, who was working at the Viennese court at that time, a portrait of his bride in the very clothes in which he first saw her.
They say that on the day of the wedding, the bride invited friends of the chocolate makers and, being happy with her elevation, gave them her hand with the words: "Here! Now I have become a princess, and you can kiss my hand."
This picture is also notable for the fact that it was the first to depict the first porcelain in Europe - Meissen
Now this canvas is in the Dresden Art Gallery, but it was originally bought by the Venetian Count Algarotti, a connoisseur and lover of painting. In one of his letters, he said: "I bought the famous Lyotard pastel. It is executed in imperceptible degradations of light and with excellent relief. The transferred nature is not changed at all; being a European work, the pastel is executed in the spirit of the Chinese ... sworn enemies of the shadow. Well As for the finished work, it can be said in one word: this is a pastel Holbein, depicting a young German maid in profile, carrying a tray with a glass of water and a cup of chocolate.
Indeed, the picture shows only one female figure.
But she is depicted in a way that captivates most viewers who visit famous gallery in Dresden. J.-E. Lyotard managed to give the picture the character of a genre scene. There is free space in front of the "Chocolate Girl", so the impression is that the model does not seem to be posing for the artist, but passes in front of the viewer with small steps, carefully and carefully carrying a tray.
but the consciousness of her attractiveness illuminates her whole tender and sweet little face. Her posture, the position of her head and hands - everything is full of the most natural grace. Her small foot in a gray high-heeled shoe peeks out modestly from under her skirt.
The colors of the "Chocolate Girl" clothes were chosen by J.-E. Liotard in soft harmony: a silver-gray skirt, a golden bodice, a shining white apron, a transparent white scarf and a fresh silk cap - pink and delicate, like a rose petal ... The artist, with his inherent precision, does not deviate a single line from the most detailed reproduction of the form body "Chocolate Girl" and her clothes. So, for example, the dense silk of her dress is quite realistic; the folds of the apron, which had just been taken out of the linen drawer, had not yet straightened out; the glass of water reflects the window, and it reflects the line of the top edge of the small tray.
The painting "Chocolate Girl" is distinguished by its completeness in every detail, which J.-E. Lyotard. Art historian M. Alpatov believes that "because of all these features, "Chocolate Girl" can be attributed to the wonders of optical illusion in art, like those bunches of grapes in the picture of the famous ancient Greek artist who tried to peck sparrows." After the conventionality and mannerisms of some masters of the 18th century, the almost photographic accuracy of the painting by J.-E. Lyotara gave the impression of a revelation.
The artist worked exclusively in the pastel technique, which was very common in the 18th century, and mastered it to perfection. But J.-E. Lyotard was not only virtuoso master this technique, but also its convinced theoretician. He believed that it was pastel that most naturally conveys color and the subtlest transitions of chiaroscuro within light colorful tones. The very task of showing a figure in a white apron against a white wall is a difficult pictorial task, but J.-E. Lyotara in a combination of a gray-gray and white apron with pale-gray shades and a steely shade of water is a real poetry of colors. In addition, using thin transparent shadows in "Chocolate Girl", he achieved the perfect accuracy of the drawing, as well as the maximum convexity and definiteness of volumes.
Swiss artist Jean-Étienne Lyotard considered one of the most mysterious painters XVIII century. Legends about his travels and adventures have come down to our days no less than exciting stories about his paintings. most famous work Lyotard is undoubtedly "Chocolate Girl". Associated with this picture interesting legend: according to the testimony of the artist's contemporaries, here he portrayed a waitress who married the prince, to whom she once served chocolate in a cafe. But about the character and moral character This person has very conflicting evidence ...
In Lyotard's painting "Chocolate Girl" we see a modest girl who humbly lowered her eyes, probably in front of a visitor to a coffee shop, to whom she is in a hurry to serve hot chocolate. According to one version, which for a long time was generally accepted, the artist depicted in this picture Anna Baltauf, a well-bred representative of an impoverished noble family. One day in 1745, Prince Dietrichstein, an Austrian aristocrat, a descendant of the richest ancient family went to a Viennese coffee shop to try a newfangled chocolate drink. He was so subdued modest charm a sweet girl who decided to marry her, despite the protests of his family.
Wanting to present to his bride unusual gift, the prince allegedly ordered her portrait to the artist Lyotard. However, this was unusual portrait- the prince asked to portray the girl in the image in which he met her and fell in love at first sight. According to another version, the artist depicted in the picture the chambermaid of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, who struck him with her beauty.
Skeptics argue that in fact everything was much less romantic than in beautiful legend. And even Anna was not Anna, but the simple Nandl Balthauf, who came not from a noble family, but from ordinary family- all her ancestors were servants, and women achieved the blessings of life by often providing special services in the master's beds. It was precisely for such a fate that the girl was prepared by her mother, who insisted that in another way her daughter could not achieve either money or happiness.
According to this version, the prince first saw the girl not in a cafe, but serving in the house of one of his acquaintances. Nandl tried to catch his eye more often and in every possible way tried to attract attention to herself. The plan succeeded, and the smart maid soon became the mistress of the aristocrat. However, she was not satisfied with the role of "one of", and she ensured that the prince began to introduce her to his guests and stopped meeting with other mistresses.
And soon the world was shocked by the news: Prince Dietrichstein was marrying a maid! He really ordered a portrait of the bride to Lyotard, and when he told him about his chosen one, the artist said: “Such women always achieve what they want. And when she succeeds, you will have nowhere to run. The prince was surprised and asked what Lyotard meant, and he replied: “There is a time for everything. There will come a time when you yourself will understand this. I fear, however, that it will be too late. But, apparently, the prince did not understand anything: until the end of his days, he lived with his chosen one and died, bequeathing to her all his fortune. Not a single woman was able to approach him anymore. And the wife in her declining years managed to achieve honor and recognition in the world.
Since 1765, the “Chocolate Girl” has been in the Dresden Gallery, and during World War II, the Nazis took this picture, along with other exhibits of the gallery, to the Königstein Castle above the Elbe, where the collection was later discovered Soviet troops. By what miracle the precious collection was preserved there, despite the cold and dampness of the cellars, art historians are still surprised.
The identity of the model in the portrait has not yet been accurately identified, but Lyotard's "Chocolate Girl" seems to fascinate everyone who comes to the Dresden Gallery, and is considered one of her best masterpieces. It is noteworthy that "Shokoladnitsa" became one of the first trademarks in the history of marketing. It is still used as a logo by a chain of coffee houses.
Lyotard painted portraits and prominent people of her time - for example, the empress in the XVIII century.
Everyone who has ever been to the Dresden Art Gallery will definitely remember two paintings: “ Sistine Madonna» Raphael and a small pastel. Why did we suddenly think of the painting while talking about chocolate? Because the picture is called "Chocolate Girl" and it has its own legends and history.
Before us is a young charming girl in a white apron and cap, as they were worn in the 18th century, with a tray in their hands. On the tray is a glass of water and a cup of steaming chocolate, which is how they drank a popular drink in Europe at that time. They didn't even know about solid chocolate back then.
The artist worked out all the details so carefully that the portrait seems to be a living photograph. A slight blush on the girl's cheeks, a languid look. A window is reflected in a transparent glass of water. In an elegant white mug you can recognize the newly invented Meissen porcelain. The color scheme is very simple, restrained, but warm and gentle.
With whom Lyotard wrote "Chocolate Girl" is not exactly known. But in each of the versions of the creation of the picture there is a love story for a woman and for chocolate.
The Legend of the Beautiful Chocolate Girl
According to one version, the Austrian prince Dietrichstein went to a coffee shop to try chocolate, which went crazy all over Europe. His waitress was the daughter of an impoverished nobleman, Anna Baltauf. Dietrichstein was captivated by both the taste of the drink and the beauty of the girl.
Of course, the noble family did not share the heir's hobbies. But this beautiful story had love happy ending, and Anna and the prince got married. And the gift to his wife for the wedding was her portrait in the form in which her future husband first saw her.
A touching love story at first sight between a chocolate Cinderella and a rich heir could not leave anyone indifferent.
And when, in 1862, the president of the American chocolate company, Henry L. Pierce, saw the picture, he immediately bought the rights to use the image.
The beautiful "Chocolate Girl" has become a symbol of the "Baker's Chocolate" trademark. This was perhaps the first acquisition of image rights in the history of the business for such a purpose.
Since 1765, the painting was kept in the Dresden Gallery, but disappeared during the Second World War. And it was found by Soviet troops in the Kenigshtein fortress.
Now the original painting is in Germany, in the Dresden Gallery, and its copy is in the Baker Chocolate Company Museum in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Video "Chocolate Girl, Jean Etienne Lyotard - review of the picture"
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M. Alpatov. Academician of art history
Who does not remember one of the pearls of the Dresden Gallery, fine picture"Chocolate Girl", which depicts a young Viennese beauty, gracefully carrying on a tray a fragile porcelain cup with a new-fangled chocolate drink and a glass of pure clear water? Written almost three centuries ago on parchment in the pastel technique, the picture impresses with its pictorial skill and poetic freshness.
The author of "Chocolate Girl" (other names - "Beautiful Chocolate Girl", German "Das Schokoladenm; dchen", French "La Belle Chocolati; re") is the Swiss artist Jean-Etienne Lyotard (1702 - 1789). He was considered one of the most mysterious masters of his time. There are many legends about his travels and adventures.
Lyotard was born in Geneva in the family of a jeweler from the French Protestants, who once had to emigrate to the Alpine Republic. He showed an aptitude for drawing as a child. He liked to draw portraits of friends, scenes from Roman history, was fond of miniatures and enamel painting. Having started studying in Gardel's workshop, he surpasses his teacher in a few months. Lyotard skillfully copies the canvases of old masters.
In 1725, the artist went to Paris for three years to improve his technique. A few years later he ended up in Rome, where he created many pastel portraits, including Pope Clement XII and a number of cardinals, this was the beginning of his fame in Europe.
I must say that Jean-Étienne had two main hobbies: painting and wanderlust, and much of the artist's life was made up of happy accidents and circumstances related specifically to travel. Once, thanks to an acquaintance with a noble Englishman, Lyotard makes a trip to the East (Messina, Syracuse, Malta, Smyrna, the islands of Delos and Paros), which ended in Constantinople. Here the artist "stayed" for as much as 5 years. He embodied his impressions in magnificent drawings, in which mastery and freedom of possession of technique (a bizarre ligature of patterns, lines, refined tones of a silvery pencil and red-red sanguine) were combined with a documentary accurate reproduction of the appearance of the characters, their costumes, the texture of fabrics and even the cut of clothes. People organically fit into sumptuous decoration rooms with an abundance of carpets, draperies, tables, vases, pillows. True, his oriental beauties sometimes resembled exquisite Parisians.
Back in Europe, Lyotard continued to wear long beard, robe and turban, for which he received the nickname "Turkish artist". He constantly moved from one country to another, communicated with interesting people, painted their portraits, leaving to posterity a reliable "... appearance people long gone from the face of the earth. The synthesis of the decorativeness of French Rococo and the clarity of Dutch realism of the 17th century in the artist's work brought great success to Lyotard.
In 1745, fate brought Jean-Étienne Lyotard to Vienna, where in 1740 the imperial throne was occupied by 23-year-old Maria Theresa, eldest daughter Emperor Charles VI. The Empress rendered famous artist a warm welcome and instructed Prince Dietrichstein, a man close to the court, to take care of the guest.
Soon Lyotard creates here his Galatea - "The Beautiful Chocolate Girl" (82.5; 52.5 cm). The unpretentiousness of the composition, the light atmosphere and the almost photographic accuracy of the pastel, after the conventionality and mannerisms characteristic of the masters of the 18th century, made an impression of revelation on contemporaries. Pastel was perceived by them as a masterpiece on a par with the works of Chardin and Vermeer, with their characters deepened in their daily activities. The Venetian Count Algarotti, a connoisseur and lover of painting, wrote in one of his letters about the "Chocolate Girl": "As for the completeness of the work, we can say in one word: this is Holbein pastels."
Dedicated to Lyotard's masterpiece great amount articles and studies that give a detailed description of it. Here is a small selection of them: “... Nothing special happens in this simple genre scene, but it captivates with the poetic perception of life, great pictorial skill. ...Here everything caresses the eye - a pretty girl with an open, clear face and an easy gait, calm, harmonious combinations light colors- white, pink, golden brown, grey. ...The girl is depicted against an almost neutral background formed by a light wall and floor.
The artist places her to the left of the center of the picture, as if giving the heroine the opportunity to move forward. The direction of her movement is emphasized by a gesture arms outstretched carrying a graceful lacquer tray, the lines of the floor. ...Looking at this picture, one admires how masterfully and precisely the subtlety of a porcelain cup is conveyed (pastel for the first time in European art depicts newly invented Meissen porcelain), a glass of clear water reflects the window, and refracts the line of the top edge of the tray.
The texture of velvet, silk and lace is wonderfully conveyed. Some fabrics fall in heavy elastic folds, others, light and mobile, shimmer with different shades of color, gently enveloping the figure. ... The colors of the "Chocolate Girl" clothes were chosen by J.-E. Liotard in soft harmony: a silver-gray skirt, a golden bodice, a shining white apron, a transparent white scarf and a fresh pink silk cap.
There is no reliable information about who the artist portrayed in the image of the “Beautiful Chocolate Girl”. In the most romantic and most beautiful version, the legend of the creation of the "Chocolate Girl" sounds something like this. One chilly winter day in 1745, Prince Dietrichstein dropped into a small Viennese coffee house to try a newfangled hot chocolate drink, which was much talked about at that time. A pleasant drink was also considered healing, and it was served with a glass of water. The young waitress Anna Baldauf, the daughter of an impoverished nobleman, served the aristocrat. The prince was so carried away by the grace and beauty of the girl that he immediately fell in love with her. To get to know Anna better, he now visited the coffee shop almost daily. Despite the strong resistance of the court nobility, in the same year Anna became the wife of Dietrichstein and an Austrian princess. As a wedding gift, the newlyweds ordered the painting "The Beautiful Chocolate Girl" from the artist Lyotard. The master created a masterpiece in which he depicted Anna in the costume of a chocolate waitress, singing love at first sight.
Lyotard's circle of life closed on June 12, 1789, when "the artist of kings and beautiful women" dies, returning to his homeland in Geneva. He created many great work, especially pastels, but in the memory of posterity he remained famous precisely as the author of "Chocolate Girl".
Since 1855, "Chocolate" has been in the collection of the famous Dresden Gallery.
During the Second World War, the painting, along with other masterpieces, was transported by the Nazis to the fortress castle Königstein above the Elbe in Saxon Switzerland, near Dresden. Here, in a deep mined casemate in flat pine boxes, treasures from Dresden were discovered by Soviet troops. It's a miracle they weren't blown up during the retreat. German troops, survived and did not have time to die from cold and dampness.
In 1955 Lyotard's pastels were shown at a farewell exhibition in Moscow among other German art trophies before being returned to the Dresden Gallery. The paintings were exhibited from May 2 to August 20, 1955. People came from afar, sometimes queuing for days to see the legendary treasures, among which the modest "Chocolate Girl" by Jean-Étienne Lyotard was not lost.
The Swiss artist Jean Etienne Lyotard, whose “Chocolate Girl” is the pearl of the Dresden Collection art gallery, for its long and happy life(1702-1789) created about 400 works. “Holbein pastels” (as colleagues called Lyotard, thereby recognizing his unconditional talent) did not write bad works, but the canvas named at the beginning of the article became a masterpiece of world painting.
Photographic Image Accuracy
What does Holbein pastels mean? The works of the greatest German artist The younger ones are famous for their portrait resemblance and jewelry elaboration of drawings. But he painted in oils, and pastels glorified Lyotard. "Chocolate" - the most famous painting done in this manner. All paintings by the Swiss artist are distinguished by photographic accuracy, the smallest development of every detail. One of the art critics compared Lyotard with the ancient Greek artist Zeuxis, famous topics that, wanting to prove his superiority over the master of realism Parrhasius, he painted such a grape, on which birds immediately flocked to peck it.
Perfect and fragile
Lyotard was the same virtuoso. According to this art critic (M. Alpatov), “Chocolate Girl” refers to those masterpieces in which there is a wonderful optical illusion. A lot has been written about this work, including because it was done in a manner that is much rarer than watercolor, engraving, and even more so. oil painting. Artists resorted to pastel less often because of its fragility and susceptibility to destruction during the smallest careless movements, because very few binders were added to the original material - paste (therefore "pastel"). Hence the timeless freshness of colors on canvases made in this manner (materials added to oil paints, darken). And pastel works crumble and collapse during transportation. Over time, the authors of such paintings came to the conclusion that they are best preserved under glass, based on a passe-partout - a cardboard edging of the canvas on which the work was done. In this case, the glass does not touch the pattern. But these fragile works are distinguished by a bewitching radiance, velvety and specific softness.
Free, imposing, mysterious ...
It was in this manner that Lyotard wrote. “Chocolate Girl” is the most famous and best, according to many experts, pastel work, although the artist himself did not distinguish it from everything previously created. Talented and lucky, he was known as a master who painted royalty and beauties. Jean Etienne was wealthy and could only afford to do what he loved - painting and traveling. Lyotard was absolutely free both in life, despite the presence of five children, and in creativity. He was extravagant and mysterious, he was patronized by the royal houses of Europe.
Mysterious Model
According to one version, beautiful girl, depicted in the picture, is Anna Baldauf, the daughter of an impoverished knight. Noble origin allowed her to be a maid at the court of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. There, the artist noticed her beauty and grace. According to another, more romantic version, Prince Dietrichstein, visiting was captivated by the beauty of the waitress at first sight. He married her, against the will of the family, and for the wedding he gave his Cinderella her portrait in the outfit in which he saw Anna for the first time. The gift was royal, since Lyotard was a court painter, and his work was very expensive. There are other versions about the posing model.
Charming simplicity
The picture is captivating, it fascinates, despite the fact that its plot is more than simple. After the artsy paintings, say, by the same Watteau, which depicted coquettish ladies and gentlemen, the lonely figure of a girl carrying a tray along a white wall looked unexpectedly simple, natural and charming. The canvas measuring 82.5 x 52.5 is made on parchment with pastels, which the artist Lyotard was fluent in. “Chocolate Girl”, written in striking filigree accuracy of objects - the girl just got the apron from the chest of drawers, the slightest wrinkle is visible on it, the chocolate giver herself seems to be breathing, and the chocolate smells.
Visual aid in physics
Everything is charming in the chocolate maker - a small leg, a straight back, but not tense, the girl is not exhausted by thinness, but slender. The costume is wonderfully written, the colors are wonderfully chosen. And after all, one must take into account that only a white wall serves as a background - no bust or tubs of flowers for you. But connoisseurs of painting from the moment the painting appeared to the present day are especially delighted with a lacquered Chinese tray in the hands of a girl, on which there is a glass of water and cups of chocolate. The picture is also valuable because it depicts for the first time the famous man who has his long and wonderful story. But a glass filled with water is written out in such a way that, according to experts, it clearly demonstrates on the border of two transparent media (Snell's law). This is one of the best praises deserved by J. E. Lyotard. "Chocolate Girl" is not considered a portrait, but a genre scene.
Oldest US trademark
From the moment of writing, fate favors this work - it is very replicated and incredibly popular, including today. Not everyone can boast of this. work XVIII century. What's the matter here? Since 1765, the canvas has been in the Dresden art gallery, and 120 years later I saw it when visiting famous museum the owner of the oldest American concern Bakers Chocolate, which was engaged in the production of this product. Henry L. Pierce was fascinated by what Jean Lyotard painted. "Shokoladnitsa" becomes the trademark of the company. La Belle Chocolatiere ("Beautiful Chocolate Girl") - the logo, approved two years later, went down in history as the first and oldest trademark in the United States and one of the oldest in the world.
A wide and unsurpassed gesture of the USSR
In the Soviet Union, this painting became especially popular when, in 1955, the paintings received by the country in the form of war trophies were returned to the Dresden Gallery by the will of N. S. Khrushchev.
Most refurbished by the best Soviet masters masterpieces before being sent were exhibited from May 2 to August 20, and people from all over the vast country were in a hurry to say goodbye to the paintings, among which were famous painting, which was created by Jean Etienne Lyotard - "Chocolate Girl".
