Hubert Robert, French, 1733-1808
Title: The Apotheosis of Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Date: 1794
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
62 x 81 cm
Signed: H. Robert, 1794
Credit Line: Purchased, 1927
Object Number: NGI.896
Exhibition HistoryCentenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964
Von Poussin bis Monet. Die Farben Frankreichs, The Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck, Remagen, 22 March - 6 September 2015; Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, 10 October 2015 - 17 January 2016
Von Poussin bis Monet. Die Farben Frankreichs, The Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck, Remagen, 22 March - 6 September 2015; Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, 10 October 2015 - 17 January 2016
Label TextRobert was a prolific artist who specialised in fanciful landscapes. He painted many idyllic scenes known as capriccio: landscapes that include classical ruins. Robert greatly admired the ideas of the Enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78). When Rousseau died, Robert designed his tomb on the Isle of Poplars, Ermenonville. In 1794, Rousseau’s remains were transferred to the Panthéon in Paris. Robert’s painting marks this ceremonial occasion. The informality of the scene and the inclusion of numerous children may be intended to reflect Rousseau’s principles regarding family, nature, and education.