Joseph Marie Vien

Joseph-Marie Vien helped turn French painting away from the frothy Rococo toward the calm of Neoclassicism. His scenes are set in an imagined ancient Greece and Rome, with young women in simple white drapery, marble furniture and soft, even light. The style became known as the Greek taste.

Born in Montpellier, he trained under Charles-Joseph Natoire, won the Prix de Rome in 1745 and studied in Italy. His best known painting, The Cupid Seller (La Marchande d’Amours) of 1763, was inspired by an ancient Roman fresco. He later directed the French Academy in Rome and was the last to hold the title of First Painter to the King. His most famous pupil was Jacques-Louis David.

Greek Maidens Adorning a Sleeping Cupid with Flowers shows his gentle, graceful side. Look at the clean profiles and carefully arranged groups that point toward David’s work.