They even frolic with kittens, like in Landini’s His Favorites. They find themselves in ridiculous, compromising positions, such as a pet stealing away with a portion of their vestments as in François Brunery’s His Eminence's Monkey. The cardinals indulge in earthly pleasures, imbibing, enjoying lavish meals and making merry. Brilliant “cardinal” red robes are set against lush interiors furnished with paintings, tapestries, ormolu furniture and the finest silver. They were, above all, entertaining.įirstly, they are a feast for the eyes, painted in the academic style with rich detail and vibrant color. The fact that s uch works satirizing the clergy would have been severely censured just a generation earlier made them all the more appealing to a European public that had grown discontent with the clergy’s hypocrisy and extreme excesses.ĭespite this newfound scorn for the Catholic Church, Cardinal paintings were more about poking fun than creating real political dissension. As reverence was replaced with doubt, collectors and the public alike appreciated these voyeuristic views into the clergy’s all-too-human interior antics. Pope Pius IX convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which produced the decree of Papal Infallibility, cementing the Pope's authority on all moral and religious matters - essentially alienating the institution even further.Īlso, the people’s contempt was aggravated simply by the Church’s immense wealth in all corners of Europe. Intense political upheavals had created a rift between the conservative Church and the liberal state, and the Industrial Revolution helped create an increasingly educated and informed public. The public’s attitude towards the Church had undergone a major shift in the late 18th century and into the 19th, and the new prevailing mood was one of distrust and disdain for the clergy. But what caused this seemingly niche category of painting to appear when it did, and what made it resonate with the public so? Their popularity was so great that in 1886, American railroad magnate Collis Huntington paid an astonishing $25,000 for Vibert’s The Missionary’s Adventures, which now resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The majority of artists working in this genre, including its biggest names - François Brunery, Georges Croegaert, Andrea Landini and Jean Georges Vibert - hailed from predominantly Roman Catholic countries throughout Europe. There was a high market demand for Cardinal paintings during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, evidenced by the sheer number of artists painting them. Genre paintings were wildly popular at the grand Paris Salons of the 19th century, and satirical scenes of ecclesiastical life became a favorite subgenre among spectators. They quickly became a sought-after genre in their own right and remain just as beloved today. Academic genre scenes known as Cardinal paintings, or anti-clerical art, depicted the clergy in humorous, often unflattering situations to the delight of contemporary audiences. The private lives of those who held prominent positions within the Catholic Church's hierarchy were a source of fascination for painters and the public alike in the second half of the 19th century.
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