Abstract
This contextual reading of Alexis Grimou’s portraits and fantasy figures of drinkers revises the artist’s posthumous reputation as an uncouth drunkard. Working for an elite clientele, the so-called French Rembrandt transformed the crude or moralistic tropes of Netherlandish painting into articulations of the emerging concept of aesthetic taste. The artist projected refined sociability in his self-portraits as a drinker and as Bacchus. Grimou’s personal connections with the drinks trade are evident in subtle visual promotion strategies. In Grimou’s portrait of the marquis d’Artaguiette, wine symbolizes success in metropolitan France but recalls harsher realities in the colony of Louisiana.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
