Francois Boucher

François Boucher's paintings give pastoral, mythological, and domestic subjects a decorative setting of flowing forms and light color. Shepherds, classical figures, fabric, and vegetation are arranged within compositions suited to the private interiors for which many works were made. His small Pan and Syrinx takes its story from Ovid's Metamorphoses, joining a classical narrative with an intimate landscape setting. Landscapes such as Landscape with a Watermill offer another arrangement of buildings, water, and idealized rural activity. His portraits and The Breakfast bring attention to dress and daily life into more concentrated settings. Patronage from Madame de Pompadour and the French court supported a practice that extended to designs for tapestries, theater, and porcelain. Original drawings in chalk and wash show the preparation of figures and decorative groups, linking the painted image with the wider arts of furnishing and display.