In the eyes of 19th century French critics, what was good art?

Question

what was unacceptable and acceptable? please give the names of the critics you are familiar with if possible.

Answer 1

The rules came from the French academy--"l'academie francaise".  The style is called academicism.  It evolved during the reign of Louis XIV.

The rules:

CONTENT

the painting's content should fall into one of these categories:

First level content:

history painting: important historical events (particularly French)

mythology: especially Classic myths from Greece and Rome

religion: specifically European Christianity

Second level content:

literature: illustrations of scenes from classic or contemporary literature

portraiture: important people only!

landscapes: particularly historical settings

genre scenes: common people in everyday scenes that display moral virtues

orientalism: any history, mythology, religion, literature, portraiture, landscape, or genre from distant lands, preferably North Africa (where France had colonies) or the Middle East (Biblical events included).

The higher level content was more likely to be respected.

FORM

The subject must be arranged in a clear, harmonious, balanced manner.  The artist must use "atmospheric perspective"; the theory was that hot, vibrant colors seemed to come toward the eye and so should be used in the foreground, and cool, muted colors seemed to recede and so should be used in the background.

TECHNIQUE

The paint must be thoroughly blended on the pallette and applied so that no brush strokes can be seen.  The finish should be smooth and glossy.  The artist should make preliminary sketches and studies and then complete the painting in the studio.