1711 -1781 · Paris, Rome and Royal Academy

Narrative grace, light color and classical erudition distinguish Noël Hallé in 18th-century French painting.

Noël Hallé was born in Paris in 1711 and died there in 1781. Son of the painter Claude-Guy Hallé, he trained in an academic environment, won the Prix de Rome and stayed in Italy. Received at the Royal Academy, he led a career as a history painter, professor and administrator, working for the Church, royal residences and factories. His art belonged to the mid-18th century: lighter than the great style of Louis XIV, but always attached to the clarity of the story and the nobility of the figures. Apollo and Midas depicts musical judgment with elegant gestures and theatrical color. Christ blessing children on the contrary brings the figures together in one human and warm composition. The different Holy Families show their attention to the exchange of glances, the movement of draperies and domestic tenderness. Hallé therefore knows how to vary the tone without abandoning the academic order: mythology, Gospel and decor remain guided by a readable composition and flexible light. The "Noël Hallé" selection notably compares Apollo and Midas and Christ blessing the children. His reading favors light.

Hallé softens the big genre: mythology becomes conversation and the sacred story gains the warmth of a family scene.