François Xavier Fabre

FRANÇOIS XAVIER FABRE (Montpellier, 1766- 1837).
"Diogenes and the lake".
Oil on canvas.
Presents restorations.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 42 x 54,5 cm; 55 x 66 cm (frame).
This work follows the model of the work entitled "Landscape with Diogenes", which was painted by Nicolas Poussin in 1648 and is currently in the collection of the Louvre in Paris. The painting depicts the Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinope, known for his contempt for material wealth and social conventions. The painting depicts the moment when Diogenes discards his last worldly possession, a cup, after seeing a man drinking water with his hands Although the painting portrays the philosopher's anecdote, the idealized landscape with buildings in the background appears to be a representation of the Vatican citadel in Rome. The scope of the scene is further accentuated by the use of atmospheric perspective, as distant elements fade into a subtle haze, suggesting a large spatial recession. The sky is painted with soft, floating clouds, contributing to the overall sense of harmony and order that characterizes the classical landscapes popularized by Poussin.
François-Xavier Fabre was a prominent French artist whose initial training took place at the School of Drawing in Montpellier, where he was a pupil of Jean Cousteau. In 1783 he moved to Paris to join both the workshop of Jacques-Louis David, one of the most influential figures of neoclassicism, and the School of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Four years later, in 1787, he won the prestigious Grand Prix de Rome, which allowed him to continue his artistic development as a pensioner of the Académie de France in the Italian capital for a period of four years. However, the unstable political climate in Rome around 1793 led him to settle in Florence, where his links with the poet Vittorio Alfieri and the Countess of Albania gave him access to the most important social and cultural circles of the city. There he consolidated his career as a portraitist and painter of historical, religious and mythological themes, adapting with skill to the social and aesthetic transformations derived from the political changes of the time. After the French occupation of Tuscany, Fabre re-established links with his native country, as evidenced by his abundant correspondence with other French artists. His work, varied in subject matter, shows a special mastery of portraiture, a genre he cultivated intensely from the 19th century onwards. In addition to his pictorial work, he excelled as an art collector and engraver. In 1825, after the death of the Countess of Albania, he decided to return to Montpellier, a city to which he bequeathed his valuable art collection, giving rise to the current Musée Fabre, of which he was director. He also promoted the creation of a new School of Fine Arts and a library. Stylistically, Fabre's work reveals a synthesis between the classicism of Nicolas Poussin, perceptible in the structure and compositional drama, and the formal rigor of Davidian neoclassicism, evidenced in the sharpness of the outline and the expressive use of light, which highlights the main characters against dark backgrounds.