Louis ANQUETIN (Etrepagny 1861 - Paris 1932) Lot n° 3

Detail of The Three Fates Spinning and the Triumph of Truth after Peter Paul Rubens Oil on original canvas 57 x 40 cm Bears on the back the stencil mark of the canvas dealer Moirinat in Paris. (Accidents) Our painting is a remake of the painting by Peter Paul Rubens kept in the Louvre museum The classical education provided by Fernand Cormon in his studio could not escape the students from history painting, an academic subject par excellence. In the 19th century, an academic artist always represented nudity through an allegorical theme inspired by mythology. Louis Anquetin followed the precepts of his master and tried to deal with some historical themes but soon freed himself from them. This work was most certainly done around 1882, when Anquetin began his training at the studio. The study of the bodies is quite precise in opposition to the sky treated with great freedom in the touch. In the background, we can see two bodies embracing each other, painted with great lightness and evanescence. This same academic work can be found among the other students of the Cormon studio, and in particular among Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who arrived the same year as Anquetin and who deals with the same mythological theme of the abduction. From these studies, both artists draw lessons in composition and the placement of characters in space without, however, adhering to strict academicism.