A painting by French painter Francois Boucher “An Artist in his Workshop.” The size of the painting is 27 x 22 cm, canvas, oil. In 1720, at the age of seventeen, Boucher entered the engraving studio of Jean-François Kars, which enabled him to study the art of decorating books and work with engraving, and also to earn his living independently. In 1722, Boucher was commissioned to illustrate the new edition of “French History” by Gabriel Daniel.
Participation in the creation of etchings for Julien’s Collection in 1722-1723, in which all the works of Antoine Watteau were reproduced in engraving, allowed Bush to get acquainted with the works of this artist, to master his compositional techniques and stylistics. In 1723, Francois Boucher won the competition for the Roman Prize of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. This victory gave the artist the right to study in Rome, but in the Italian branch of the academy there was not enough space for the winner and to travel to Italy the young painter had to pay at his own expense.
In Rome, the painters Pietro da Cortona and Francesco Albani made a particularly impressive impression on Bush. Returning from Italy in 1731, Boucher almost immediately became a candidate for the Royal Academy for the separation of historical painting, and already in 1734 the artist was approved as a full member of the academy for a picture of the mythological theme “Rinaldo and Armida.” The first years after the Italian journey in the creative activity of the artist François Boucher were almost entirely devoted to drawing, copying and engraving.
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