Download - Musée du Louvre: Painted Shoes
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 1
MUSÉE DU LOUVRE CHAUSSURES PEINTES | PAINTED SHOES | CALZADOS PINTADOS | GEMALTE SCHUHE
MARGO GLANTZCATHERINE BELANGER
LOIS LAMMERHUBER
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2 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
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2 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 3
12 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 13Jan MaSSYS, C. 1509-1575, daVid et BethSaBée, 1562
12 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 13Jan MaSSYS, C. 1509-1575, daVid et BethSaBée, 1562
18 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 19hyaCinthe RIGaUd, 1659-1743, louiS XiV, 1701
18 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 19hyaCinthe RIGaUd, 1659-1743, louiS XiV, 1701
24 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 25
24 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 25
40 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 41
i the French writer Georges Bataille regarded the foot – or rather the big
toe – as ‘the most human part of the human body’. this remarkable
phrase is reaffirmed when we look at the pictures taken at the louvre by
lois lammerhuber to glorify not only the foot, this ‘limb of all limbs’ – again
according to Bataille – but also external covering used to envelope the foot:
the shoe. used since time immemorial, man is supposed to have invented
the shoe to protect himself from bad weather (since nature provided him
with neither claws, nor hooves nor fur), and subsequently, perhaps, to
satisfy his vanity and mark his social position in the world. in fact, these
photographs focus on the foot – or rather on the well-shod foot – despite
the fact that it frequently coexists with the naked foot in its primal perfection.
So why focus on the foot, or rather the well-shod foot? Why is it neces-
sary to cut away not only the human body, but also the rest of the painting
itself? looking at the pictures reproduced here, we immediately notice an
important fact: we never see a complete painting, but are only offered
the lower part of each, making it impossible – with some exceptions, and
depending on the angle of the camera– to view entire scenes or bodies.
this somewhat paradoxical, yet nevertheless productive approach yields
up specific details, performing a kind of dissection of each painting. our
eyes rest on individual elements that become the most visible elements
in each painting. as explained by Catherine Bédard with reference to the
art critic daniel arasse, ‘…the possibility to approach the work of art in this
way arouses great excitement, an excitement produced by the proximity of
the work, the pleasure of admiring it unreservedly thanks to photography,
even if it is only a reproduction.’
this manner of “dissecting” a painting forces us to see the unusual,
that which 19th-century Mexicans referred to as ‘porabajos’, or ‘lowers’,
whether they be the lower parts of the painting, or of the human body.
after all, the foot does support the body, does it not?
the foot is man’s support. in architecture, it is indispensable as the base
of pilasters and columns, and it enables us to stand upright. to many, this
essential part of us also represents the soul. to Sigmund Freud, the foot
is remarkable and has a phallic significance. the upright carriage which
man acquired compared to the ape when he descended from the lofty
branches to which early history had confined him made him become a
tree himself (again according to Bataille), perfectly erect. the foot also
the mark of death, since we all are walking towards it at a hurried pace,
just like Christ when he walked the path to Calvary, a scene frequently
depicted in the pictures painted between the 13th and the 16th centuries,
sheer paths walked barefoot.
a widespread and varied symbol, the foot also represents slavery in
Greek culture, and free men shod it in much the same way as women
covered their heads. Whilst liberating man, shoes enslaved his feet. Shoes
conceal his primal nudity, the nudity of the support that keeps us upright
on the triple and relentless symbolisation of the foot. it can represent the
soul, or rather the link between heaven and earth. We find confirmation
of this when we remember that the column is one of the most common
and traditional symbols of Christ: Columna est Christus.
ii the foot also represents the embryonic erection, eroticism in dis-
guise. the picture which Giovanni da Milano painted between 1360
and 1365 – presumably for a Pisa church, and showing St. Francis on
the panel of a polyptych – is a flagrant example of this, is it not? take a
look at the lower part of the painting. the saint is dressed in a grey tunic,
f r a G m e n t a t i o n a s a n a r t : t h e a e s t h e t i C s o f s h o e s
40 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 41
i the French writer Georges Bataille regarded the foot – or rather the big
toe – as ‘the most human part of the human body’. this remarkable
phrase is reaffirmed when we look at the pictures taken at the louvre by
lois lammerhuber to glorify not only the foot, this ‘limb of all limbs’ – again
according to Bataille – but also external covering used to envelope the foot:
the shoe. used since time immemorial, man is supposed to have invented
the shoe to protect himself from bad weather (since nature provided him
with neither claws, nor hooves nor fur), and subsequently, perhaps, to
satisfy his vanity and mark his social position in the world. in fact, these
photographs focus on the foot – or rather on the well-shod foot – despite
the fact that it frequently coexists with the naked foot in its primal perfection.
So why focus on the foot, or rather the well-shod foot? Why is it neces-
sary to cut away not only the human body, but also the rest of the painting
itself? looking at the pictures reproduced here, we immediately notice an
important fact: we never see a complete painting, but are only offered
the lower part of each, making it impossible – with some exceptions, and
depending on the angle of the camera– to view entire scenes or bodies.
this somewhat paradoxical, yet nevertheless productive approach yields
up specific details, performing a kind of dissection of each painting. our
eyes rest on individual elements that become the most visible elements
in each painting. as explained by Catherine Bédard with reference to the
art critic daniel arasse, ‘…the possibility to approach the work of art in this
way arouses great excitement, an excitement produced by the proximity of
the work, the pleasure of admiring it unreservedly thanks to photography,
even if it is only a reproduction.’
this manner of “dissecting” a painting forces us to see the unusual,
that which 19th-century Mexicans referred to as ‘porabajos’, or ‘lowers’,
whether they be the lower parts of the painting, or of the human body.
after all, the foot does support the body, does it not?
the foot is man’s support. in architecture, it is indispensable as the base
of pilasters and columns, and it enables us to stand upright. to many, this
essential part of us also represents the soul. to Sigmund Freud, the foot
is remarkable and has a phallic significance. the upright carriage which
man acquired compared to the ape when he descended from the lofty
branches to which early history had confined him made him become a
tree himself (again according to Bataille), perfectly erect. the foot also
the mark of death, since we all are walking towards it at a hurried pace,
just like Christ when he walked the path to Calvary, a scene frequently
depicted in the pictures painted between the 13th and the 16th centuries,
sheer paths walked barefoot.
a widespread and varied symbol, the foot also represents slavery in
Greek culture, and free men shod it in much the same way as women
covered their heads. Whilst liberating man, shoes enslaved his feet. Shoes
conceal his primal nudity, the nudity of the support that keeps us upright
on the triple and relentless symbolisation of the foot. it can represent the
soul, or rather the link between heaven and earth. We find confirmation
of this when we remember that the column is one of the most common
and traditional symbols of Christ: Columna est Christus.
ii the foot also represents the embryonic erection, eroticism in dis-
guise. the picture which Giovanni da Milano painted between 1360
and 1365 – presumably for a Pisa church, and showing St. Francis on
the panel of a polyptych – is a flagrant example of this, is it not? take a
look at the lower part of the painting. the saint is dressed in a grey tunic,
f r a G m e n t a t i o n a s a n a r t : t h e a e s t h e t i C s o f s h o e s
226 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 227
226 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 227
92 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 93
MaîTRE dE La SaINTE PaRENTÉ, C. 1470-1515, l’adoration deS MaGeS, la PréSentation au teMPle, l’aPParition du ChriSt à la VierGe, C. 1480attriBué à Pietro di CriStoForo VannuCCi, PÉRUGIN, C. 1450-1523, la VierGe et l’enFant entouréS de deuX anGeS, Sainte roSe et Sainte Catherine d’aleXandrie, 1490-1495
92 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 93
MaîTRE dE La SaINTE PaRENTÉ, C. 1470-1515, l’adoration deS MaGeS, la PréSentation au teMPle, l’aPParition du ChriSt à la VierGe, C. 1480attriBué à Pietro di CriStoForo VannuCCi, PÉRUGIN, C. 1450-1523, la VierGe et l’enFant entouréS de deuX anGeS, Sainte roSe et Sainte Catherine d’aleXandrie, 1490-1495
144 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 145
PhiliPPe dE CHaMPaIGNE,
1602-1674,
louiS Xiii Couronné Par la
ViCtoire (SièGe de la roChelle),
1635
144 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 145
PhiliPPe dE CHaMPaIGNE,
1602-1674,
louiS Xiii Couronné Par la
ViCtoire (SièGe de la roChelle),
1635
214 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 215
louiS davId, 1748-1825, SaCre de l’eMPereur naPoléon ier et CouronneMent de l’iMPératriCe JoSéPhine danS la Cathédrale notre-daMe de PariS, le 2 déCeMBre 1804,1806-1807louiS davId, 1748-1825, SaCre de l’eMPereur naPoléon ier et CouronneMent de l’iMPératriCe JoSéPhine danS la Cathédrale notre-daMe de PariS, le 2 déCeMBre 1804,1806-1807
214 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 215
louiS davId, 1748-1825, SaCre de l’eMPereur naPoléon ier et CouronneMent de l’iMPératriCe JoSéPhine danS la Cathédrale notre-daMe de PariS, le 2 déCeMBre 1804,1806-1807louiS davId, 1748-1825, SaCre de l’eMPereur naPoléon ier et CouronneMent de l’iMPératriCe JoSéPhine danS la Cathédrale notre-daMe de PariS, le 2 déCeMBre 1804,1806-1807
222 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 223
Sir thoMaS LaWRENCE, 1769-1830, leS enFantS d’aSCoyGhe BouCherettSir thoMaS LaWRENCE, 1769-1830, leS enFantS d’aSCoyGhe BouCherett
222 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 223
Sir thoMaS LaWRENCE, 1769-1830, leS enFantS d’aSCoyGhe BouCherettSir thoMaS LaWRENCE, 1769-1830, leS enFantS d’aSCoyGhe BouCherett
246 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 247
niColaS dE LaRGILLIERRE,
1656-1746,
Portrait de CharleS le Brun,
1683-1686
172, ENdPaPERS
Pierre MIGNaRd,
1612-1695,
Portrait de l’artiSte,
1690
2-3, 173, ENdPaPERS
Claude GILLOT,
1673-1722,
le toMBeau de Maître andré,
1716-1717
174
JoSePh PaRROCEL,
1646-1704,
PaSSaGe du rhin Par l’arMée
de louiS XiV à tolhuiS,
1699
175
hyaCinthe RIGaUd,
1659-1743,
louiS XiV,
1701
18-19, 176, 177
Jean-antoine WaTTEaU,
1684-1721,
Pierrot, GilleS,
1718-1719
178, 179
Carl vaN LOO,
1705-1765,
halte de ChaSSe,
1737
182, 183
louiS TOCQUÉ,
1696-1772,
Marie leçZinSKa,
1740
180-181
MauriCe-Quentin dELaTOUR,
1704-1788,
la MarQuiSe de PoMPadour,
1749-1755
184
Jean-BaPtiSte OUdRY,
1686-1755,
leS diVertiSSeMentS ChaMPêtreS,
1720-1723
186, 187, 188, 189
GiandoMeniCo TIEPOLO,
1727-1804,
SCène de CarnaVal, dit le Menuet,
1754-1755
185
thoMaS GaINSBOROUGH,
1727-1788,
lady alSton
20-21, 190
FranCiSCo dE GOYa Y LUCIENTES,
1746-1828,
Mariana WaldStein, neuVièMe
MarQuiSe de Santa CruZ
191
louiS-MiChel vaN LOO,
1707-1771,
Portrait du MarQuiS
de MariGny et de Son éPouSe,
1769
192, 193
Jan STEEN,
1626-1679,
la MauVaiSe CoMPaGnie,
1665-1670
162
CharleS LE BRUN,
1619-1690,
aleXandre et PoruS,
1665
164, 165
Pieter CorneliSZ
vaN SLINGELaNdT,
C. 1625/1630-1691,
FranS MeerMan, GreFFier
de la Ville de leyde et
Sa FaMille,1668
168,169
Pierre MIGNaRd,
1612-1695,
l a déliVranCe d’androMède,
1679
170-171
246 Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe
Chaussures peintes | Painted shoes | Calzados pintados | Gemalte Schuhe 247
niColaS dE LaRGILLIERRE,
1656-1746,
Portrait de CharleS le Brun,
1683-1686
172, ENdPaPERS
Pierre MIGNaRd,
1612-1695,
Portrait de l’artiSte,
1690
2-3, 173, ENdPaPERS
Claude GILLOT,
1673-1722,
le toMBeau de Maître andré,
1716-1717
174
JoSePh PaRROCEL,
1646-1704,
PaSSaGe du rhin Par l’arMée
de louiS XiV à tolhuiS,
1699
175
hyaCinthe RIGaUd,
1659-1743,
louiS XiV,
1701
18-19, 176, 177
Jean-antoine WaTTEaU,
1684-1721,
Pierrot, GilleS,
1718-1719
178, 179
Carl vaN LOO,
1705-1765,
halte de ChaSSe,
1737
182, 183
louiS TOCQUÉ,
1696-1772,
Marie leçZinSKa,
1740
180-181
MauriCe-Quentin dELaTOUR,
1704-1788,
la MarQuiSe de PoMPadour,
1749-1755
184
Jean-BaPtiSte OUdRY,
1686-1755,
leS diVertiSSeMentS ChaMPêtreS,
1720-1723
186, 187, 188, 189
GiandoMeniCo TIEPOLO,
1727-1804,
SCène de CarnaVal, dit le Menuet,
1754-1755
185
thoMaS GaINSBOROUGH,
1727-1788,
lady alSton
20-21, 190
FranCiSCo dE GOYa Y LUCIENTES,
1746-1828,
Mariana WaldStein, neuVièMe
MarQuiSe de Santa CruZ
191
louiS-MiChel vaN LOO,
1707-1771,
Portrait du MarQuiS
de MariGny et de Son éPouSe,
1769
192, 193
Jan STEEN,
1626-1679,
la MauVaiSe CoMPaGnie,
1665-1670
162
CharleS LE BRUN,
1619-1690,
aleXandre et PoruS,
1665
164, 165
Pieter CorneliSZ
vaN SLINGELaNdT,
C. 1625/1630-1691,
FranS MeerMan, GreFFier
de la Ville de leyde et
Sa FaMille,1668
168,169
Pierre MIGNaRd,
1612-1695,
l a déliVranCe d’androMède,
1679
170-171