_The Descent from the Cross_ (No. 437), by Jean Jouvenet (1644-1717),
which has been honoured by a position among the masterpieces in the
Salon Carré, is certainly one of the most estimable compositions
produced in France during this active but uninspired century. Not only
in the general disposition of the design, but also in the use of colour
as a constructive element, Jouvenet here acknowledges his indebtedness
to Rubens, although he could never rival the luminous glow of the great
Fleming’s palette. Most of his other pictures suffer from dull heavy
shadows and exaggerated expression. His strong and honest painting
of the kneeling group in _The Abbé Delaporte officiating at the High
Altar of Nôtre-Dame_ (No. 440), makes us regret that he did not devote
himself more to subjects taken from the life of his time.
An artist who was less tied to the tyranny of the official school, and
imbued with a really profound sense of the beautiful, was Jean Baptiste
Santerre (1658-1717). The delicate perfection of form of the nude in
_Susannah and the Elders_ (No. 835) approaches him to David and Ingres
at their best. But this very perfection carries the germ of decay,
because it is incapable of progress, and stagnation in art signifies
death. As regards his technique, Santerre was extremely careful and
conscientious. He reduced his palette to but five colours, and waited
ten years after the completion of a picture before putting on the final
coat of varnish.