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October 27, 2002
through
July 13, 2003

In the Studio:
Art and Art-Making in Nineteenth-Century France

The Studio of Thomas Couture, 1854-55
In the early nineteenth century, the concept of the studio as a site for artistic production changed significantly. Whereas in previous centuries, studios typically functioned as workshops in which a master artist and apprentices worked together collaboratively, in the nineteenth century the studio became the working space for the creative output of a single artist. And yet, nineteenth-century artists, particularly those working in the academic manner, did not work in their studios in solitary isolation. Their studios were not only sites of creation, but also of instruction and of commercial and social exchange.

Teaching studios flourished in nineteenth century France. Under the critical eye - and in the studio - of an established master, young artists learned their craft. Instruction in the academic tradition followed an established curriculum, which commence with making drawings after old master prints and after plaster casts of antique sculptures. On graduating from this phase of study, which introduced them to Renaissance and classical ideals, students then learned the discipline of analytical observation by sketching live models and copying old masters. The objective of this type of studio instruction was to instill in students the essentials of academic painting, which favored noble themes, clearly-constructed compositions, sober color schemes and idealized figures.

Venus with Doves, about 1879
In addition to students, many artists invited their colleagues and friends to their studios for company and conversation while working. Potential patrons were also welcome, although their naïve comments often proved irritating, as many of Honoré Daumier's satirical prints illustrate. Still, artists depended on public exposure for their livelihoods. A crowded studio created opportunities for a young artist's discovery, employment and, perhaps eventually, public acclaim.

The Ackland's collection is rich in paintings, drawings and prints by nineteenth-century French artists trained in the academic manner. In the Studio displays a selection of those works in a way that suggests the interior of an artist's studio and the various kinds of artistic activities -- production, instruction, commerce -- that typically took place there. The installation is the third in a series of teaching exhibitions funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation's Old Masters in Context Program.

In the Studio is a collaborative project. With the assistance of the Kress Foundation grant, the Ackland engaged two graduate students from the department of History at UNC-CH, Melanie Bailey and Michele Strong, to write the catalogue and assist Ackland staff in curating the exhibition. On behalf of the Ackland, I wish to thank Melanie and Michele for their creative and scholarly contributions to In the Studio. Thanks also is due to Carolyn Allmendinger, Ackland educator for university audiences, for her thoughtful assistance throughout the process of designing the exhibition and editing the catalogue. Mary Sturgeon of the Art Department; the Manuscripts Department in Wilson Library at UNC-CH; and Jeffrey Mims also made important contributions to In the Studio. The exhibition design was conceived and constructed by Joe Gargasz, Kirby Sewell and Patrick Krivacka, Ackland Art Museum.

Carolyn H. Wood
Curator of Education

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