Éloge du quotidien : Essai sur la peinture hollandaise du XVIIe siècle

by Tzvetan Todorov

« La beauté gît dans le geste le plus humble. Quand Steen et Ter Borch, de Hooch et Vermeer, Rembrandt et Hals nous font découvrir la beauté des choses, ils ne se comportent pas en alchimistes capables de transformer en or n’importe quelle boue. Ils ont compris que cette femme qui traverse une cour, cette mère qui pèle une pomme, pouvaient être aussi belles que les déesses de l’Olympe, et ils nous incitent à partager cette conviction. Ils nous apprennent à mieux voir le monde, non à nous bercer de douces illusions ; ils n’inventent pas la beauté, ils la découvrent – et nous permettent de la découvrir à notre tour. Menacés aujourd’hui par de nouvelles formes de dégradation de la vie quotidienne, nous sommes, en regardant ces tableaux, tentés d’y retrouver le sens et la beauté de nos gestes les plus élémentaires. »

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

176 pages, Pocket Book

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

In Bulgarian Цветан Тодоров. Todorov was a Franco-Bulgarian historian, philosopher and literary theoretician. Among his most influential works is his theory on the fantastic, the uncanny and marvellous.

Reviews

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you appreciate quiet art like Vermeer, as opposed to say the garish sensuality of Rubens or the revolutionary fervor of Delacroix, then you'll appreciate this short critique of Dutch masters in the XVII century. Todorov is one of the world's top art critics, and here he does a nice job of explaining the reformation philosophy behind the art and the symbolism of the art itself. I am a self-identifying art geek and this definitely got my art geek on big time.

I was already familiar with the work of Rembrandt (those in the Louvre here in Paris and in the Rijkmuseum in Amsterdam are almost friends it feels) and Vermeer (particularly those in Den Haag which are spell-binding and those in the Rijkmuseum) and made the pilgrimage to Haarlem some years back to the Hals museum as well, but what I was lucky enough to appreciate here was the subtlety of Tea Borch, de Hooch, and Stein which are actually all extremely interesting painters. Their works are so quiet that one would have a tendency to blow right by them, but if you take the time in front of them and try to decode their meaning a bit, they can be quite rewarding. Todorov's book is an excellent guide!

Another tidbit I appreciated was the discovery of Judith Leyster who made several gorgeous portraits early in her career, but unfortunately after becoming a mother she put up her brushes for good. Her work is worth Googling, particularly the suggestive "Proposition" (Den Haag) or the "Unequal Love" (Rome). Very interesting and nuanced!

[Adolfo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ensayo sobre los pintores holandeses quienes fueron los primeros en pintar sobre cosas cotidianas.

[Aida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tzvetan Todorov desarrolla una síntesi excelente sobre la pintura de género holandesa en el siglo XVII. Con la constante mención de grandes pintores como Vermeer, De Hooch, Ter Borch o Judith Leyster Todorov explica como aquello cotidiano se dignifica por primera vez en la historia del arte. Una lectura fascinante, ordenada y muy entendedora.

[Arianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good to understand realism in the 1800.