Jean-Étienne Liotard

Jean-Étienne Liotard (1702-1789) was a Swiss painter of notable originality and international renown, celebrated for his mastery of pastel portraiture and his cosmopolitan career across eighteenth-century Europe. Born in Geneva into a family of Huguenot descent, Liotard received his initial artistic training locally before moving to Paris, where he studied under the famed Rococo artist Jean-Baptiste Massé. However, Liotard’s style would diverge from both his teacher and the prevailing French taste, developing a distinctive clarity and directness that set his work apart.

Liotard’s career was marked by extensive travel, which profoundly influenced both his technique and subject matter. He spent formative years in Italy, absorbing the lessons of the Old Masters, before embarking on a voyage to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) in 1738. This sojourn had a lasting impact: Liotard adopted the dress of the Orient, often wearing a long kaftan and turban, which became his trademark and earned him the moniker “the Turkish painter.” His fascination with Eastern costumes and customs is evident in many of his portraits, where sitters are often attired in exotic apparel, reflecting both the contemporary vogue for “turquerie” and Liotard’s own penchant for realism.

Throughout his career, Liotard worked for an illustrious clientele, including European royalty and aristocracy. He painted the likes of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, the Habsburg family, and members of the British royal family during his lengthy stay in London. His keen observational skills, combined with his technical finesse, enabled him to capture the individuality and psychological presence of his sitters with remarkable subtlety. He favoured pastels over oils, utilising the medium to achieve a luminous, velvety surface and vivid lifelike colours.

Liotard’s approach was unusual for the time, eschewing the idealisation and flattery typical of court portraiture. Instead, he pursued a striking realism, portraying blemishes, wrinkles, and the effects of age with honesty and sensitivity. His most famous work, “The Chocolate Girl” (La Belle Chocolatière), epitomises his style: a simple servant girl rendered with exquisite detail and dignity, her humble status elevated by Liotard’s sympathetic gaze.

Liotard’s legacy endures as a testament to the power of portraiture to transcend mere likeness, capturing the character and humanity of his subjects. His innovative use of pastels and his cosmopolitan outlook continue to inspire admiration among art historians and lovers of eighteenth-century art.