Monday, August 8, 2016

Arcadian Visions by Jean Grandjean

Jean Grandjean
Arcadian landscape
1777
watercolor
British Museum

Get hence foule Griefe, the canker of the minde:
Farewell Complaint, the miser's only pleasure:
Away vayne Cares, by which fewe men do finde
                        Their sought-for treasure.

Ye helpless Sighes, blowe out your breath to nought,
Teares, drowne your selves, for woe (your cause) is wasted,
Thought, thinke to ende, too long the frute of thought
                        My minde hath tasted. 

But thou, sure Hope, tickle my leaping heart.
Comfort, step thou in place of wonted sadnes.
Fore-felt Desire, begin to savour parte
                        Of comming gladnes.

Let voice of Sighes into cleare musike runne,
Eyes, let your Teares with gazing now be mended,
In stede of Thought, true pleasure be begunne,
                        And never ended.

 Sir Philip Sidney, from the third book of the The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia

Jean Grandjean
Arcadian landscape
1777
watercolor
British Museum

Jean Grandjean
Arcadian landscape
ca. 1772-81
watercolor
Rijksmuseum

Jean Grandjean (1752-1781) made these idealized drawings in his native Amsterdam during the decade before his epic journey to Rome. In spirit, his work was never set anywhere else than Italy. Paradoxically, he had to render a romantic yet believable Italy (without seeing it) on paper before he could find patrons willing to send him in reality to record the sorts of scenes he had already furnished by means of miscellaneous borrowings and an aggressive imagination.  

Jean Grandjean
Arcadian landscape with tomb
1777
drawing
Sotheby's Amsterdam

Jean Grandjean
Arcadian landscape
1778
drawing
Rijksmuseum

Jean Grandjean
Fresco design with Arcadian landscape
ca. 1772-81
drawing
Rijksmuseum

Jean Grandjean
Terrace at Villa Aldobrandini, Frascati
1779
drawing
Rijksmuseum

Jean Grandjean
Roadway between walls
ca. 1772-81
drawing
Rijksmuseum

Jean Grandjean
Bridge at Tivoli
ca. 1779-81
drawing
Morgan Library, New York

Jean Grandjean
Grotto
ca. 1779-81
drawing
Graphische Sammlung im Städelschen Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main

Grandjean's explorations resulted in many splendid drawings, including the beautiful collection now at the Rijksmuseum, but this enterprise was then cut off after only two years by the artist's sudden death in 1781 at the age of 29.

Jean Grandjean
Study of Drapery
ca. 1772-81
drawing
Rijksmuseum

Jean Grandjean
Study of drapery
ca. 1772-81
drawing
Rijksmuseum

Jean Grandjean
Study of Drapery
ca. 1772-81
drawing
Rijksmuseum

Jean Grandjean
Study of drapery
ca. 1772-81
drawing
Rijksmuseum