The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 14, 2024

The Artist in His Room at the Villa Medici, Rome

The Artist in His Room at the Villa Medici, Rome

1817
(French, 1794–1880)
France, 19th century
oil on canvas
Framed: 58 x 51 x 7.5 cm (22 13/16 x 20 1/16 x 2 15/16 in.); Unframed: 44.5 x 37 cm (17 1/2 x 14 9/16 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1978.51
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

In 1817, Léon Cogniet won the Prix de Rome for history painting, allowing him to live and work in the city for five years. The helmet, shield, and swords seen at left refer to the expectation that Cogniet would produce a history painting each year to send back to Paris for review.

Description

Léon Cogniet was one of many artists who traveled from across Europe to Rome during the early 19th century, drawing upon the city’s ancient past and its surrounding landscape for inspiration. In this formally composed scene, the artist stands within his studio, its walls bare and colorless in contrast to the dramatic light cast through his open window.
  • Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox, London. Purchased by the CMA in 1978.
  • Talbot, William S. "Cogniet and Vernet at the Villa Medici." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 67, no. 5 (1980): 135-49. Reproduced: cover, p. 134; Mentioned: p. 135-49 www.jstor.org
    Argencourt, Louise d', and Roger Diederen. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 4. European Paintings of the 19th Century. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 154-157, Vol. I, no. 51
    Miller, Peter Benson. Studio Systems. New York, NY: American Academy in Rome, 2016.
    Épistolaire 37 (2011) Reproduced: Cover
    Ozvald, Serenella Rolfi. "L'artista allo Scrittoio. Un'immagine Controversa." Ricerche di Storia dell'arte. 125 (2018) 4-16.
     Reproduced: p. 7, fig. 1; p.[97], fig. 1
    Miller, Peter Benson. Studio Systems. New York; Rome: American Academy in Rome, 2016. p. 49 Reproduced: P.49, fig. 6
    Groom, Gloria Lynn. "The Empty Room." In Van Gogh's Bedrooms. Gloria Lynn Groom, ed., 28-35. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 2016. Reproduced: P. 30, fig. 1; Mention: P. 29, 35 n. 8
    Pomarède, Vincent. "The Villa Medici, the Villa Malta, the Darchis Foundation . . ." In Viva Roma!: Artists and the Trip to Rome. Vincent Pomarède, et al., 100-113. Ghent: Snoeck Publishers, 2018. Reproduced: p. 105
  • Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).
    Viva Roma!. La Boverie Museum, Liège, Belgium (organizer) (April 24-August 26, 2018).
    Rooms with Views: The Open Window in the 19th Century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (March 28-July 4, 2011).
    New York, Dahesh Museum of Art (September 3 - November 2, 2003): "French Artists in Rome: Ingres to Degas, 1803 - 1873"
    Maestá di Roma, da Napoleon all'Unita d'Italia: Da Ingres à Degas. Les artistes français à Rome. Dahesh Museum of Art, New York, NY (September 9-November 9, 2003).
    French Academy in Rome, Villa Medici (3/5/2003 - 6/29/2003): "Maestá di Roma, da Napoleon all'Unita d'Italia: Da Ingres a Degas: Les artistes francais a Rome", exh. cat. no. 50, p. 219.
    "un paese incantato" Italia dipinta da Thomas Jones a Corot. Museo Civico di Palazzo Te, Mantua, Italy (September 1-December 9, 2001).
    Paysages d'Italie. Les peintres du plein air 1780-1830. Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, 75008 Paris, France (April 3-July 9, 2001).
    Paris: Galeries nationales du Grand Palais (4/3/01 - 7/9/01); Mantova, Italy: Palazzo Te (9/1/01 - 12/9/01) "Paysages d'Italie. Les peintres du plein air (1780-1830), exh. cat. no. 6, pp 14-15.
    In the Light of Italy: Corot and Early Plein-air Painting. National Gallery of Art (May 26-September 2, 1996); The Brooklyn Museum (October 11, 1996-January 12, 1997); Saint Louis Art Museum (February 21-May 18, 1997).
    Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art; Brooklyn Museum; Saint Louis Art Museum. In the Light of Italy: Corot and Early Open-Air Painting (1996-97), no. 59 (repr.).
    Year in Review: 1978. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 13-March 18, 1979).
    London, Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox. From Revolution to Second Republic (1978), no. 24 (repr.).
  • {{cite web|title=The Artist in His Room at the Villa Medici, Rome|url=false|author=Léon Cogniet|year=1817|access-date=14 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1978.51