Saturday 3 October 2015

Paris - tableaux by Jean-Baptiste Marot at the Carnavalet

The French Revolution rooms at the musée Carnavalet reopened in February this year following their refurbishment.  Among the new exhibits are three newly-acquired paintings of Paris by the artist Jean-Baptiste Marot created for Eric Rohmer's 2001 film The Lady and the Duke  (based on the experiences of the Scottish-born courtesan Grace Dalrymple Elliott during the Terror).  Marot's tableaux (there were thirty-seven in all) were used to form the film set with the actors digitally inserted into them as though into moving paintings. The result is effective if a bit weird - rather like a live-action pop-up-book. 

The pictures themselves, however, are beautiful and meticulously researched using a plethora of plans, maps, paintings and engravings, as well as Charles Marville's  photographs of pre-Haussman Paris.  The three Carnavalet acquisitions on display represent the Palais Bourbon, the Church of Saint-Roch and the Convent of the Feuillants.

 rue St-Honoré and the couvent des Feuillant


The Church of St-Roch,
Based on the painting of 1840 by Mingasson de Martinazeau 
 also in the Carnavalet 

References

Musée Carnavalet Press dossier February 2015
http://parismusees.paris.fr/sites/etablissement_public/files/cp_dp_visuels/dossiers_de_presse/dp_reouverture_salles_de_la_revolution.pdf

Jean-Baptiste Marot, Article for Neil Young's Film Lounge, March 23rd, 2004
http://www.jigsawlounge.co.uk/film/reviews/neil-youngs-film-lounge-jean-baptiste-marot/

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