Genre prestigieux héritier d’une longue tradition, la peinture d'histoire connaît de multiples évolutions tout au long du XIXe siècle. Sous le Second Empire, régime longtemps affecté par sa « légende noire », ce genre restait encore à définir. Il présente des caractéristiques qui l’inscrivent véritablement dans son siècle, tout en lui conférant une originalité : émanation de la peinture d'histoire et de ses mutations dans la première moitié du siècle, précurseur de sa reformulation sous la Troisième République, la peinture d'histoire sous le Second Empire est marquée par la singularité. L’étude des représentations de l’histoire peintes entre 1860 et 1870 en est révélatrice. D’emblée, la corrélation entre les créations et le terme même de « peinture d'histoire » pose question. En effet, tout en se maintenant dans un sujet classique (historique), ces « peintures à sujet historique » se rapprochent tour à tour de la peinture de genre et du genre historique, et sont contaminées par le réalisme et le goût de la couleur locale. Si l’expression académique de « peinture d'histoire » convient encore à la peinture de bataille, cette dernière subit aussi les assauts de la modernité et connaît une mutation sous la forme spécifique de la peinture militaire. La démarche des peintres de sujets historiques présente des récurrences. Un important travail préparatoire, à partir de textes, de sources voire de découvertes archéologiques, est mis au service de reconstitutions positivistes des événements, permettant de susciter l’intérêt du public. Le choix des sujets varie selon les intentions : édifier le spectateur, montrer un passé idéalisé utilisé comme répertoire de sujets émouvants, ou encore exposer une idéologie. Au-delà de la dimension historiciste d’éducation par le passé national, ces œuvres donnent à voir un certain état de la pensée historique, des principaux courants d’idées qui ont influencé les peintres. Plus encore, ces derniers véhiculent et diffusent une conception de l’histoire qui rejaillit sur leur présent par l’intermédiaire de la presse et de l’illustration, et ils contribuent ainsi à construire l’image qui va s’ancrer dans les mémoires. Support traditionnel de propagande et de « fabrication » du pouvoir, la peinture d’histoire conduit à se poser la question des pratiques culturelles du gouvernement du Second Empire. L’instrumentalisation de l’image par l’État est réelle, mais se cantonne aux peintures de bataille et aux figurations du faste impérial. Napoléon III, dans sa politique d’acquisition, s’adapte aux créations plus qu’il ne les génère. En revanche, il exerce une influence indirecte : la mise en scène de sa personne, du couple impérial et de ses goûts historiques, offre une série de thèmes exploités par les peintres. La peinture à sujet historique n’est pas instrumentalisée dans le cadre des envois de l’État. Les élites locales jouent un rôle essentiel dans le développement de ce genre : municipalités et Sociétés savantes, édiles et érudits encouragent les créations sur l’histoire nationale ou locale. La représentation de l’histoire entre 1860 et 1870 donne à voir la place primordiale de l’histoire, dans ses aspects savants et populaires, à échelle nationale et locale, inspirée par le sentiment d’attachement à la « petite patrie » comme à la nation / Prestigious genre, heir to a long tradition, the history painting experiences multiple evolutions throughout the 19th century. Under the Second Empire, for a long time a regime marked by its "black legend", the genre still remained to be defined. Its characteristics fix it deeply in its century, while conferring it an originality : an emanation of the history painting and its transformations in the first half of the century, a precursor of its reformulation under the Third Republic, the history painting under the Second Empire is marked by its singularity. The study of the representations of history painted between 1860 and 1870 is revealing there. Straightaway, the correlation between the creations and the term of "history painting" raises questions. Indeed, while remaining in a classic subject (history), these "paintings on historic subject" get closer alternately to the genre painting and the historic genre, and are contaminated by the realism and the interest in the local colour. If the academic expression of "history painting" still suits for the painting of battle, the latter is also touched by the modernity and transformed into military painting. The approach of the painters of historic subjects presents recurrences. An important preparatory work, on texts, sources, even archaeological discoveries, is put in the service of positivist reconstructions of the events, in order to raise the interest of the public. The choice of the subjects varies according to the intentions: educate the spectator, show an idealised past used as directory of moving scenes, or develop an ideology. Beyond the historicist dimension of education about the national past, these pieces of art show a certain state of the historic thought, the main currents of ideas that influenced the painters. Moreover, the latter convey and spread a conception of history that reaches the contemporary through the press and the illustration, and so they contribute to build the image that will be anchored in the memory. A traditional mean of propaganda and "manufacturing" of the power, the history painting raises the question of the cultural practices of the government of the Second Empire. The instrumentalisation of the image by the State is real, but is restricted to the paintings of battle and of the imperial splendour. Napoleon III, in his acquisition policy, adapts himself to the creations more than he generates them. On the other hand, he exercises an indirect influence: the staging of his person, the imperial couple and its tastes in history, offer a series of themes exploited by the painters. The painting of historic subject is not instrumentalised within the framework of the envois of the State. The local elites play an essential role in the development of this genre: municipalities and Learned societies, town councillors and scholars encourage creations on national or local history. The representation of the history between 1860 and 1870 reveals the essential place of history, in its erudite and popular aspects, on a national and local scale, inspired by the feeling of attachment to the "small homeland" as well as the nation.

This paper examines the painter Peh Hilleström (1732–1816) as a participant in the eighteenth century, Stockholm art market, according to the model used by Michael Baxandall in his study of Italian Renaissance art. The art market of the eighteenth century was expanding and included new groups of buyers, outside traditional patrons of art as court and aristocracy. The main purpose of the paper is to find these new art consumers. I use probate inventories from Stockholm, from the years 1735, 1775, 1795, and 1815, in which I search for annotations of paintings. The results are examined from an economic perspective, based on wealth, and a social, based on occupation and titles. Examining these four years I find a rather extensive, bourgeois, market for art, including the less well of households, and fairly independent of social status. The sources give few if any, details of the paintings listed. Hence it is not possible to connect any of the annotations in the probate inventories to Hilleström, since artists’ names are never mentioned. From some of the clues given, there is nevertheless, possible to reconstruct the outlines of what an art collection might have looked like. The wide scope of Hillestöm’s production, illustrated by the artist’s own list of his paintings, might be interpreted as a way to cater for this new market, illustrated by e.g. the frequent repetition of motives. Finally, I examine a few of Hilleström’s own paintings in the light of the previous investigation. Together the sources give a picture of a – fairly widespread – ideal of interior decoration, in which paintings are an important part.

The master thesis called Winter in genre painting of the Northern European region in the 16th and 17th-century focuses with the theme of winter period performed on the works of selected artists from Northern Europe. It deals not only with her impressive atmosphere but mainly observes the habits and traditions of the ordinary inhabitants of the villages or towns what is represented on the pictures. The attention of interest is also biblical scenes connected with the Nativity of Christ or folk celebrations of Christian feats during the winter. On selected themes can further explore the forms of winter pleasures of ordinary people or hunting. The purpose of this work is to reflect the importance of winter landscape with reference to the life of a common inhabitants taking into account the socio-historical context of the Netherlands 16th - 17th century. Keywords: genre painting, Renaissance, baroque, Northern Europe, winter, habits, tradition, meeting, sport, carnival, celebrations, ice skating, landscape, hunting, holidays

The diploma thesis is focused on the analysis of selected works of the winter landscape painting of the Norther European painters . Structurally, the work is conducted in such a way that it first introduces the evolution of landscape painting in the Northern Europe from 14.-16. century. In this context, three selected works are analyzed, whose scenes are set in the winter landscape. The cultural-historical context of the 16th-17th centuries is then outlined to familiarize with the circumstances of the time. century in the Netherlands. Then lives and works of the painters presented are briefly mentioned. The core of the thesis is the formal and iconographic analysis of selected works, especially from the workshop of the Brueghel's family and their followers. The landscape paintings with an impressive atmosphere are analyzed, observed are also habits and traditions of the ordinary inhabitants of the villages or towns whit is represented on the pictures. The attention of interest are also biblical scenes connected with the Nativity of Chist or folk celebrations of Christian feats during the winter. The purpose of this work is to reflect the importance of winter landscape with reference to the life of a common inhabitants taking into account the socio-historical context of the Netherlands 16th-17th...

The Artists’ model in Sweden is a relatively unexplored topic. This study applies a discourse analytical approach to the figure of the artists’ model, based in Foucaultian thought, in order to investigate the discourse surrounding the model in Sweden during the period 1880 – 1899. The study poses the following questions: How does the artists' model appear and what themes can be identified in selected text from Swedish newspapers? How does the model appear in selected visual works and how does that relate to the model in popular culture? How does the model appear in material from the Academy of fine arts, how does this relate to the model in popular culture and what conclusions can be drawn concerning their life and working conditions? What discursive tendencies surrounding the model can be identified and how does conceptions of class, gender and ethnicity impact the model in the discourse? The investigated material is serialised novels and short stories in newspapers, visual depictions of models in art and their reception, as well as archival material from the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. Additional methods being used is close reading and thematic analysis.  The study concludes that the model in Sweden belongs to a wider international discourse, stereotypes of models in English, German and French context appears in Sweden, due to the international nature of both the art and publishing worlds. Models are defined by contemporary conceptions of ethnicity, gender, and age. A clear discursive tendency constructs the model as female and the artist as male. The relationship between them is often presented as romantic or sexual in nature. An opposing tendency, often presented by writers involved in the art world, constructs the artist as distant and disinterested, with an aesthetic gaze, and the model as objectified non-woman, their relationship that of working professionals. The study also argues that no particular concept of the Swedish model existed, models were more frequently conceived of as Italian or Parisian in Swedish discourse.

Sällsynta, vanliga kvinnor - Genremåleriets skildringar som kunskapskälla kring 1700-talets arbetande kvinnor i Sverige. The aim of this essay is to study whether genre paintings portraying lower and middle class women in the 18th century Sweden can act as a source of information and knowledge regarding these women ́s types of work and way of life and if so, what in the the motives can be used as a source of information and thus contribute to traditional historical research. The essay focuses on Sweden and the years between 1770 - 1810 since this was a time of rapid political, economic and cultural development which all effected the art market. These years were also the productive years of the artist Pehr Hilleström who was the most formative contributor to Swedish genre painting at the time. In this essay three motives have been analysed with attention to repertoires of work, ways of performing work and social hierarchies within work among the portrayed women. Research on aspects of economic history, material culture, work, family and gender, dress history as well as pictures as historical evidence puts the depicted women in relation to their context. The conclusion is that with knowledge of the time period and culture, special knowledge of what is displayed and thereby the adequate ability to critically evaluate the source indeed makes genre painting a useful source of information. / Sällsynta, vanliga kvinnor - Genremåleriets skildringar som kunskapskälla kring 1700-talets arbetande kvinnor i Sverige. Uppsatsen fokuserar på perioden 1770-1810 och det som då var Sverige eftersom samhälle och kultur utvecklades snabbt under denna tid vilket gynnade konstmarknaden och en ny typ av motiv då blev populärt - genremotiv. Uppsatsen undersöker om dessa kan användas som källa till kunskap och i så fall vad i motiven som kan utgöra detta. Tre motiv målade av Pehr Hilleström under den aktuella perioden valdes ut för verksanalyser. I motiven föreställande kvinnor ur ett lägre samhällsskikt och som utför någon typ av hushållsrelaterat arbete undersöks om kunskap och information kring dessa kvinnor och deras arbetsliv kan erhållas. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att med tillräcklig kunskap om aktuell tid och kontext, rätt specialkunskaper kring vad som avbildas i form av föremål, interiörer och klädedräkt samt adekvat källkritik så kan genremotiv användas som en källa till information och kunskap.

Dans un climat de réforme globale, touchant l’ensemble de la société hollandaise, émerge un certain nombre de compositions picturales nouvelles, peintes, au cours la première moitié du XVIIe siècle, par de jeunes artistes amstellodamois avides de reconnaissance. Prenant généralement pour sujet le repos de soldats, retranchés dans de sombres intérieurs, ces scènes se diffusent rapidement dans les Pays-Bas de l’époque. Les différents experts et théoriciens de l’époque les identifient alors comme des scènes de cortegaerd, terme issu du français « corps de garde ». Renvoyant dans un premier temps à la brûlante actualité de la guerre de Quatre-Vingts Ans (1568-1648), de telles œuvres s’en éloignent néanmoins rapidement au gré d’une transformation, aussi subtile que radicale, opérée par ces peintres sur l’iconographie du mercenaire pillard : celui-ci quitte, en effet, peu à peu, dans ces scènes, les tristes oripeaux du maraudeur pour revêtir les luxueux atours de l’officier éclairé et raffiné. En miroir de cette progressive assimilation de la figure de l’officier à celle de l’amateur, doit également être perçue celle du peintre à l’officier, régnant en maître sur son atelier. Initiée dans les années 1630, cette double mutation croisée des images du soldat et de l’artiste témoigne de la mise en place d’un intense mouvement de légitimation. Si une guerre de l’art a bien eu lieu en Hollande au cours de la première moitié du siècle, il s’agit avant tout d’une guerre de conquête de marchés et de statuts, menée par d’ambitieux artistes s’identifiant eux-mêmes comme les membres d’un corps moderne et indépendant de la peinture, portant haut les couleurs d’un discours théorique nouveau. / Amid a climate of overall reformation, which encompassed the whole of Dutch society, a group of ambitious young artists from Amsterdam developed a new kind of compositions during the first half of the XVIIth century. These painters were mostly known in the Netherlands for their depictions of relaxing soldiers in dark interiors. Those works were quickly given the label cortegaerd by art experts and theorists from the time, a term that derives from the French military term corps de garde, or guardroom. While initially referring to the brutal actualities of the Eighty Years War (1568-1648) in their art, these artists seem to have quickly moved away from the image of the pillaging mercenary towards a radically different iconography. Indeed, the Dutch soldier rapidly started to leave behind its sad rags for the luxurious attire of the enlightened officer and amateur. Mirroring this painted transformation of the officer into the art lover, painters similarly created visual parity between themselves, as masters reigning over their workshop. Beginning in the 1630s, this twofold transformation testifies to the existence of an intensity of ambition. If a war of art really did take place in Holland during the first half of the XVIIth century, it was therefore a war of conquest of new markets and social statuses by young artists who saw themselves as members of a modern painting corps. This desire for artistic legitimacy was launched by an emerging class of painters who were not only eager to establish their independence from a dominant form of painting, but also become the standard-bearers for a new theoretical discourse.