Pierre Duval Le Camus (1790 - 1854), The Visit

Pierre DUVAL LECAMUS (Lisieux 1790 - Saint-Cloud 1854) The Visit: oil on canvas Dimensions on stretcher Height: 47.8 cm - Width: 54.3 cm;on frame: 68.5 cm - 77 cm. Canvas previously re-stretched, old retouching repaired and cleaning carried out by our restorer. Genre painting of a peasantinterior, depicting a sister of Christian Charity visiting a family in need tobring them aid from her congregation. The order of her community, Charity, isrecognizable by her distinctive cornette. Seated in the center of the room onan armchair, her arm affectionately resting on the little girl's shoulder, sheasks the patriarch to entrust her youngest daughter to her so that she canteach her to read and write. The father, worn out by hard work, has to lean ona crutch; the exhausted mother stands slightly behind, while her eldestdaughter kneels eagerly unpacking the food brought by the sister. Pierre DuvalLe Camus was the son of a master glazier. At the age of 18, his parents senthim to Paris, where he discovered the arts and, in 1808, joined David's studio,where he caught the master's eye. He married Aglaé Virginie Le Camus, amarriage that propelled him into Parisian high society, as his wife's fatherwas a cavalry officer and her grandfather a lawyer and president of the ParisBar Association. In 1819, Pierre Duval Le Camus participated for the first timein the Paris Salon, where he would exhibit until 1853. His meticulous andpolished style, inspired by 17th-century Dutch artists, perfectly matched thetastes of the Duchess of Berry and the Duke of Orleans (the future King ofFrance: Louis-Philippe), and placed him in the same sphere as artists such asBoilly, Drolling, Grenier de Saint-Martin, Mallet, Roehn, Haudebourg-Lescot,Pingret, and Van Gorp. Pierre Duval Le Camus happily continued this vein ofgenre painting inspired by the art of the Dutch Golden Age during theRestoration and the July Monarchy. A taste for detail and the picturesque,polished painting without being mechanical, and subtle attention to the variousattitudes of the figures make the artist the best representative of this typeof painting in the 1820s. A genre and portrait painter, he was also alithographer, but his personal work in printmaking is not abundant. Many of hispaintings were engraved or lithographed, particularly by Léon Noël, whichgreatly contributed to the dissemination of his work, especially his familiaror peasant scenes, which were very successful, such as our painting, which isneither signed nor dated but is listed by inestimable.com. In 1833, heexhibited 17 paintings at the Salon. The reviews were eloquent, especially forhis small full-length portraits, “which are one of Mr. Duval Le Camus's happyspecialties” (Auguste Jal, Les Causeries du Louvre, Salon of 1833). Generallyflattering and elegant, the figures stand out against a luminous background. In1837, he founded the Lisieux Museum of Painting and Sculpture and, in the sameyear, was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor. In 1842, father and son beganexhibiting together at the Salons. They continued to exhibit together until1853. In 1848, Pierre Duval Le Camus moved to Saint-Cloud. In 1853, he becamemayor of the town. He died the following year, penniless, but leaving behindmemories of his kindness and generosity towards artists and his fellowcitizens. For several years, he was painter to the Duchess of Berry.His works can be found in many French museums, as well as atthe Hermitage in Saint Petersburg and the Clark Art Institute (USA). Bibliography: based on the press kit for the exhibition Les Duval Le Camus, peintres de père en fils (The Duval Le Camus family, paintersfrom father to son) at the Musée des Avelines, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire deSaint-Cloud.