VINCENT, François-André - b. 1746 Paris, d. 1816 Paris - WGA

VINCENT, François-André

(b. 1746 Paris, d. 1816 Paris)

French painter and draughtsman. He was one of the principal innovators in French art of the 1770s and 1780s, in the field of both Neoclassical subjects and themes from national history. After studying with Joseph-Marie Vien in Paris Vincent had won the much-coveted Prix de Rome in 1768, remaining as a pupil in the École Royale des Éleves Protégés until July 1771 when he was installed as a pensionnaire in the Palais Mancini, Rome. During his Roman sojourn Vincent drew and painted a large number of portraits, both of his fellow students and Italian aristocrats (such as Monseigneur Ruffo in 1775). This portrait dates from a time in which Vincent’s portraits are particularly close to Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s, largely due to the latter’s presence in Rome and Naples from December 1773 to June 1774.

Despite the fact that he worked in a variety of styles, his sense of purpose appears to have been coherent at a time of profound change. His stylistic sources lay in the art of Classical antiquity and such masters as Raphael, the great Bolognese painters of the 17th century and Charles Le Brun; yet he also studied reality in a quasi-documentary way. His work, too often confused with that of Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Jacques-Louis David or Louis-Léopold Boilly, is of a high standard, even though the completed paintings do not always uphold the promise of energy of his drawings and oil sketches.

He married in 1800 Adelaide Labille-Guiard, a well-known woman painter of the period.

Belisarius

The theme of Belisarius was much in vogue from the 1770s, and in addition to Jacques-Louis David, rival artists of David’s own generation, such as Pierre Peyron and Fran�ois-Andr� Vincent, had painted their own versions of the subject. Vincent’s Belisarius is reduced to begging, and receives the charity from a soldier in Justinian’s army. Here there is no sense of recognition, the blind former general is oblivious to the identity of his benefactor. Vincent also took the unorthodox step of creating a group of half-length figures, an unusual device in France at this time.

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Germanicus Appeasing Revolt in his Camp

Germanicus (16 BCE-19 CE), was nephew and adopted son of the Roman emperor Tiberius (reigned 14–37 CE). He was a successful and immensely popular general who, had it not been for his premature death, would have become emperor. As consul in the year 12, he was appointed to command Gaul and the two Rhine armies. His personal popularity enabled him to quell the mutiny that broke out in his legions after Augustus’s death (14).

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Portrait of a Man

The present painting, probably depicting another artist, was painted by Vincent whilst attending the Acad�mie de France in Rome, from 1771 to 1775. The intimacy of the pose and the style costume strongly suggest that he is most likely a fellow pensionnaire at the Acad�mie.

The painting is signed and dated lower left.

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The Daughter of Ariovistus Made Prisoner by Caesar

This rare subject is taken from the book of Bellum Gallico (Gallic War) by Julius Caesar (ca. 52-51 BC). The painting can be dated to the end of the 1770s when the painter was inspired by rare literary themes and painted from them several canvases with very free technique.

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Zeuxis Choosing his Models for the Image of Helen from among the Girls of Croton

This painting was exhibited at the Salon of 1789, together with Jacques-Louis David’s The Lictors Returning to Brutus the Bodies of his Sons. Both David and Vincent had received their commissions from D’Angiviller, as Surintendant des Bâtiments the responsible officer for selecting those eligible for Crown patronage.

The account of Zeuxis choosing his models is taken from Cicero. Having been commissioned to paint a portrait of Helen of Troy for the Temple of Jupiter at Crotona, the famous Greek artist Zeuxis had to seek the most perfect characteristics from five of the greatest beauties of the city.

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