18th century · Venus, Psyche and metamorphoses of desire

Rococo mythology transforms Olympus into a theater of desire: gods, nymphs and loves become pretexts for painting skin, cloud, fabric and movement in a sensual light.

In the 18th century, ancient storytelling remained a prestigious language, but rococo shifted its emphasis. Heroism often gives way to waiting, seduction, sleep or metamorphosis. In France, Nattier uses Flore or Diane to elevate the court portrait; Natoire orders the adventures of Psyche and divine loves in decorative cycles with supple rhythms. Boucher makes Venus, Callisto and Cupid the privileged inhabitants of a world of pearly flesh, satin and cloud. In Venice, Sebastiano Ricci accelerates the composition with a clear and moving touch, while Tiepolo extends the myth to the monumental fresco and the ceiling. Reynolds transposes to Great Britain the child, woman or celebrity in the role of Bacchus, Cupid or nymph. Under their brushes, the antique is not an archaeological reconstruction. It serves to speak of the contemporary gaze, pleasure, power and imaginary freedom. Behind the grace, the death of Dido, the sacrifice of Iphigenia or the flight of Daphne, however, retain a dramatic tension. The selection "Mythologie rococo" notably compares Madame Henriette en Flore - Jean-Marc Nattier and Psyche à son toilette - Charles-Joseph Natoire. His reading favors movement.

Olympus Rococo looks less like a temple than a stage: everyone plays love, flight, triumph or jealousy under a moving sky.