Jean Etienne Liotard (2)
Jean-Étienne Liotard was the 18th-century Swiss artist who might just be the patron saint of lavish details and painting in pastel-colored perfection. Known for his stunningly realistic portraits, Liotard had a knack for capturing not just the likeness of his subjects but the very texture of their existence—whether it was the soft sheen of satin, the intricate folds of lace, or the gleam of powdered wigs. His most famous works often have a quiet, almost introspective quality, like a snapshot of an aristocratic moment frozen in time. If you were painted by Liotard, you could be pretty sure you’d be immortalized looking chic and composed, and probably holding a cup of hot chocolate, because the man had a thing for painting people enjoying their cocoa.
Liotard's life was almost as colorful as his art. He spent time living in places as diverse as Istanbul and Paris, where he cultivated an exotic, worldly reputation. He was known for his rather elaborate self-presentation, often wearing Turkish robes to reflect his time spent in the Ottoman Empire—a little nod to the "exotic" flair that many of his portraits captured. And while his style was incredibly refined, he could also be rather playful, making his subjects appear as though they were in on a private joke with the viewer. Though he might not have been as famous as some of his contemporaries, like Jean-Honoré Fragonard or Thomas Gainsborough, Liotard's exquisite technique and his ability to bring out the character of his subjects in every brushstroke made him a master of portraiture in his own right.
