Student with a Lesson-book

Back in Paris from Italy, Greuze seems to have come close temporarily to Chardin’s handling of paint - seldom closer than in the fine Student (�colier qui �tudie sa le�on), which has the unforced sobriety of his best male portraits.

Although Greuze painted this towards the end of his stay in Italy it shows the strong influence of seventeenth-century Dutch painting and the work of the slightly older French artist Chardin.