Gascar Henri

Henri Gascar is a French portrait painter who became famous for his magnificent ceremonial images at the courts of Louis XIV, Charles II and in Rome, as well as for some of the early examples of mezzotint engraving.

Biography

Origin and early years. Gascar was born in Paris in the family of Pierre Gascar, a minor painter and sculptor. Around 1659, he studied in Rome, possibly with Pierre Mignard. By the mid-1660s, he was already working as an independent portrait painter — for example, in 1667 he painted a portrait of Nicolas de la Lafont, editor of the "Bulletin of Holland" (later this work ended up in the Hermitage).

The English triumph. Around 1674, Gascar came to England, probably at the invitation of Louise de Keroual, Duchess of Portsmouth, the most influential favorite of Charles II. His bright, flowery style contrasted strikingly with the restrained English manner and came in handy at court: the country was shaking off the Puritanical rigor of Cromwell's time, and the aristocracy wanted luxury.

Gascar painted almost the entire color of the English court: Charles II, James II (then Duke of York), the king's favorites — Nell Gwyn, Barbara Villiers (Duchess of Cleveland) with her daughter, Frances Stewart, Sophia Bulkeley, as well as Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond, and others. He compensated for the lack of psychological depth and inattention to details with lavish draperies and decorative excesses — and the customers liked it. In a few years, he is rumored to have amassed over 10,000 pounds.

The competition with the court artist Peter Lely was acute — they sometimes painted the same people (like Nell Gwyn), and Gascar even surpassed Lely in his simpering mannerisms.

Departure from England. Until 1680, Gascar realized quite shrewdly that his success was just a fashion craze, and left before his popularity began to decline. Another reason could be the growing anti—French and anti-Catholic sentiments after the "papal conspiracy"; there were even rumors that Gascar was a French spy.

Paris and Rome. On October 26, 1680, he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Then he moved to Rome, where he enjoyed a high reputation and spent the last twenty years of his life. Around 1698, he painted a portrait of little Joseph Ferdinand, the son of the Bavarian Elector. He died in Rome on January 1, 1701.

Gascar and the engraving

Gascar is also associated with the development of mezzotint engraving in England.: a number of prints from his portraits without specifying the name of the engraver are attributed to him, although there is no direct evidence. The inscriptions on them indicate that it was not an Englishman who worked. These are some of the earliest examples of mezzotint in England.

Style Features

Bright, saturated colors and lush draperies are "French vivacity" in the spirit of the Baroque and the court of Louis XIV.
Allegorical and costumed portraits are a subgenre that Gascar mastered long before he became popular.
Situational models in the form of mythological deities on the background of marble columns, draperies and landscape.
The depth and accuracy of the portrait resemblance were inferior to the decorative effect.