Page 73 - Revolution Republique Empire Restauration

Tangibly Romantic in atmosphere, palette, use of Fig. 3
motif and overall composition, Gerard also employs
the assured contours, bold colours, and finely sculpt- In 1807, Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun painted a very per-
ed facial types he learned in David’s studio, and in sonal portrait of de Staël, as Corinne, dressed in a
this respect, Corinne au Cap Misène could be consid- tunic and peplum decorated with an anthemion bor-
ered Gerard’s successful attempt to fuse neo-classi- der, seated at the foot of Parnassus, playing a lyre as
cal refinement with the impression of unrestrained dark clouds gather uneasily above her (Fig. 3). The
sensuality that marks the peak of the Romantic sitter’s well-known voluptuous figure, dark curls and
movement. large expressive eyes are all evident, as well as her
heavy chin, and slightly open mouth with fleshy lips.
De Staël’s novel was also appreciated as one of the But even having included all of these veristic, if less
first modern travelogues of Italy and the topography admired features, Vigée-Le Brun succeeds in giving
of Gerard’s scene also closely follows her text: de Staël’s portrait a stillness and a refined monumen-
tality which recalls classical sculpture and this is not
“From the height of the peak which stretches out into the
sea and forms the Cape Miseno one sees clearlyVesuvius, the
gulf of Naples, the islands scattered across the bay and the
countryside which stretches out from Naples right up to
Gaeta: the land where volcanoes, history and poetry have
left their traces more than anywhere else on earth”.

Here, Gerard slightly changed the background land-
scape of his Lyon composition, shifting Vesuvius to
the extreme left to make Oswald’s head the highest
point of focus. The far horizon is further punctuated
by Corinne’s upturned face, which additionally
draws attention to their opposing expressions of
emotion. Here again Gérard appears to have been
guided by the text: Corinne’s face is described by
Oswald as sybilline, reminiscent of Domenichino,
whose works he had just seen in Bologna.10
However, while Gérard clearly did not paint Corinne
as a portrait of her creator, his figure nevertheless
symbolises de Staël in the guise of a muse, ‘the lady
with the lyre’, a guise which would have been
instantly recognisible to 1822 Salon audiences, even
if they had not read her novel.

10. A. Goodden, Madame de Staël, Delphine and Corinne, (trans. Angelica Gooden), London: Grant & Cutler, 2000, p. 65.

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