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UtPicturaPoesisNonEritxDiderot's QuestfortheLimitsofExpression in the Salons HUGUETTECOHEN DenisDiderot'sattempttodefythefinitenatureofthewriter'scraftin hisSalonsyieldedsomeremarkable"paintingswithapen,"withan expressiveclimaxreachedinthe"PromenadeVernet"ofdieSalonof1767.' However,thissameSalondisclosesacrucialturningpoint:attheendofthe "Promenade"andfromthenon,thepaintingsondisplayintheLouvreare nolongeragenuinesourceofinspirationforDiderot'smuséeimaginaire, andIwillarguetiiatthisnewdirectioninhisartcriticismreflectedanaware- nessthathehadreachedlimitsofexpressionnottobetransgressed:his dreamofreproductivepowerssuperiortothepaintings'potentialtoarouse emotionswasshatteredbyhisadmissionthatlanguagecouldturnintoa self-activatedwellspringofimagesandmeaningsdivorcedfromcriticaldiscourseonthepaintingsonviewintheLouvre . WhenFriedrichGrimmaskedDiderotin1759toreportonthebiennial Salonsforanexclusivecircleofforeignsubscriberswhowould,perhaps, neverseethepaintings,theinvitationwasextendedwithafullknowledgeof Diderot'sinvolvementwiththeactofseeingandtranslatingimagesintolan- guage.Hischallengingassignmentwouldbetoforgethekindofhieroglyphic languagehehadenvisionedintheLettresurlessourdsetmuets(1751)"qui faitqueleschosessontditesetreprésentéestoutÃlafois,"2butrepresenta- tionthriceremoved,withthepainter'sworktransmittedintowordstoan audiencewhowouldcreateitsownmentalimages.Inspiteoftheoptimism 195 196 / COHEN expressedintheLettre,DiderotoftenlamentedindieSalonsontheobstacle ofdistancebetweenthepaintingsandthefinalmessage:"Maisquesignifient mesexpressionsexsanguesetfroides,meslignessanschaleuretsansvie? ...Rien,maisriendutout.Ilfautvoirlachose"(7:174).Onthepositive side,theancientrivalrybetweenthepenandthebrush,poetryandpainting, andthestrictdemarcationoffieldsofendeavorwasrapidlyeliminatedbya newalliancebetweenthe"SisterArts."3Thisblurringofdifferencesfigured prominentlyinDiderot's"Prospectus"fortheEncyclopédie,inwhichhe usedtheall-inclusiveheadingofpoetryforthearts,"cariln'estpasmoins vraidedireduPeintrequ'ilestunPoète,queduPoètequ'ilestunPeintre" (2:311).Afterseveralyearsdevotedtolearningthetechnicalintricaciesof paintingforhisthreefirstSalonsof1759,1761and1763,heratedhimself withmuchprideasdiepainter'speer:"Chardin,Lagrenée,Greuzeetd'autres m'ontassuré,etlesanistesneflattentpointlesUttérateurs,quej'étaispresque leseuld'entreceux-cidontlesimagespouvaientpassersurlatoile,presque commeellesétaientordonnéesdansmatête"(7:104).Heconcededthathecouldneitherpaintnordraw,butwasconfidentthathismentalimaging couldproduceamessageclearenoughtobecommunicatedtohisaudience. TranslatinganaliendiscourseintohisownwasDiderot'sdominantmental bent.JeanStarobinskihaspointedoutinaseminalarticlethisintimaterela- tionshipwith"laparoledesautres,"4whichenabledDiderottopenetratethe languageofOtherness,verbalorfigurative,hisfreeadaptationofAnthony AshleyCooper,thirdEarlofShaftesbury'sEssaisurlemériteetlavertu (1745)beingthebestearlyexampleinhisworkofthisprocessoftrans- latingtomimicandeventuallyappropriate.Thisinexhaustibleappetitefor mimesiswouldserveDiderotwell—uptoapoint—intheSalonsinwhich heassimilatedhisfavoriteartists'stylestoreinventthemintohisownversions .HedescribedthepitfallsofthisactivitytoGrimm,perhapsasaform ofapologyforhisstrayingfromthestraightpathofmimesis: PourdécrireunSalonÃmongréetauvôtre,savez-vous,monami,cequ'il faudraitavoir?Touteslessortesdegoût,uncoeursensibleÃtousles charmes,uneâmesusceptibled'uneinfinitéd'enthousiasmesdifférents, unevariétédestylequirépondîtÃlavariétédespinceaux;pouvoirêtre grandouvoluptueuxavecDeshays,simpleetvraiavecChardin,délicat avecVien,pathétiqueavecGreuze,produiretouteslesillusionspossibles avecVernet,etdites-moioùestceVertumne-lÃ?"(5:394). TwoavenueswereopentoDiderot:theconventionaldescriptivemethod, linkedtotheactofreading,thatwouldofferaninventoryofvisiblereality, anda"poetic"method,basedonthepowerofthepaintingstotranscendthe visibleandcarryreadersbeyondthenarrowlyrational,withtheobvious UtPicturaPoesisNonErit/197 entrapmentoflosingsightofthepaintings.5Thedescriptivemethodwill prevailinthefirstfourSalons,whereDiderotisstillthinkingintermsofthe Encyclopédie,withastressonmaximumreadability:"Madescriptionsera tellequ'avecunpeud'imaginationetdegoût,onlesréaliseradansl'espace, etqu'onyposeralesobjetsÃpeuprèscommenouslesavonsvussurlatoile" (6:19).Hewouldattempttorevivetheancientconceptofenargeia,and Horace'sinjunctionofutpicturapoesis,wordsreproducingthevividper- ceptionofthenaturalobjects.6 Thisinitialprojectofverbalpictorialismfacedaconsiderablehurdle:the gapbetweendiepointoftimeimposedontheartistanddieconsecutiveim- agesproducedbylanguage,aneighteenth-centurycommonplace.7Following theAbbéJean-BaptisteDuBos'lead,Diderotthoughttohavefoundthelink betweentheverbalanddievisualindrama,withactorsasthepicturedchar- actersinapainting.Hisowndramatictheory,withitsemphasisonthetab- leau,"unedispositiondecespersonnagessurlascène,sinaturelleetsivraie, querenduefidèlementparunpeintre,ellemeplairaitsurlatoile"(3:127- 28),hadaprofoundimpactonhisfirstSalons,andthetableauwouldbehis measureofvaluefortheartist'sselectionoftherightmoment.Theartist mostlikelytofulfillthedemandsofDiderot's"dramaticconception"8would havetobeGreuze,whosesupremacywasundisputedintheSalonsof1761, 1763and,1765;However,whenpositionedinfrontofJean-BaptisteGreuze's narrativepaintings,Diderotwasnolongertheartcriticorcreatorofverbal tableaux.HeappliedtoGreuzecriteriaassociatedwitiiUterarycriticism, andpraisedhimforhisabilityto"enchaînerdesévénementsd'aprèslesquels ilseraitfaciledefaireunroman"(6:131).Hetreatedtheacclaimed"Accordée devillage"(1761)asanembryonicplay,deconstructingitintoseparatescenes. Thebestillustrationoftheitinerarythatledhimbackintoliteratureishis reporton"LaJeuneFillequipleuresonoiseaumort"(1765)withitsfirst linespraisingtheprimacyofpoetry:"Lajolieélégie!Lejoüpoème!Labelle idyllequeGessnerenferait!C'estlavignetted'unmorceaudecepoète" (132).ThepaintingislostinDiderot'slengthyaddresstothegnev'mgjeunefille,theliteraryidyllthathehadlongedforinhisopeningremarks.9 MichaelFriedisaccurateinhisviewthatDiderot's"dramaticconcep- tion"fittedinbetterwithhistorypainting,oneofthechieftendenciesof Frenchartofthelate1750sandearly1760s,witiiitsgrandrepresentationof actionandpassion,calUngforthefictionofthebeholder'sabsenceinfront ofaclosedsystem.10ButeveninhisfirstSalons,Diderot'sinsistentpersona shattersthemythofthenonexistentbeholder,displayingearlyexamplesof transgressionofthelimitsassignedtothespectator.Thechiefreasonfor thegreatdealofattentionhedevotedtothegrandesmachinesofJoseph- MarieVien,Jean-BaptisteDeshaysandGabriel-FrançoisDoyen,Charles- 198/COHEN Michel-AngeChalleandNoëlHallé,besidetheirpreeminenceinthehier- archyofgenres,maywellhavebeenasubjectmatterwithastorylinethathe couldreinvent,repaint,withhisownchoiceofmomentandplace,afirst levelofappropriationofthepaintingsbytheobservingje,thatwillulti- matelyleadtothetransgressionofalllimitsassignedtotheartcriticinthe "PromenadeVernet." Diderot'stirelesssearchforthepregnantmomentwasfacilitatedbyhis vastknowledgeofmythologyandhistory.Hisearlyarticleontheelder Lagrenée's"VénusauxforgesdeLemnos"(1759)isagoodearlyexample ofhispracticeofsubstitutinghisowndazzlingpainterlyversion,followed byabareoutlineofthepaintingunderconsideration,describedinanutterly negativemode: Sij'avaisdûpeindreladescentedeVénusdanslesforgesdeLemnos,on auraitvulesforgesenfeusousdesmassesderoches;Vulcaindebout, devantsonenclume,lesmainsappuyéessursonmarteau;ladéessetoutenueluipassantlamainsouslementon;iciletravaildescyclopessuspendu; quelques-unsregardantleurmaîtrequesafemmeséduit,etsouriant ironiquement;d'autrescependantauraientfaitétincelerleferembrasé. ...Aulieudecela,c'estunegrandetoilenueoùquelquesfiguresoisives etmuettesseperdent.OnneregardeniVulcainniladéesse.Jenesaiss'il yadescyclopes.Laseulefigurequ'onremarque,c'estunhommeplacé surledevantquisoulèveunepoutreferréeparlebout(3:565-66). AnotherinstanceofDiderot'searlytake-overofthespaceofpaintingis hisaccountofJean-Baptiste-MariePierre's"JugementdeParis"(1761). Thepainter'sversionisbrieflydisposedofwithasurchargeofnegatives: "Lemomentestmalchoisi.Parisajugé.DéjÃunedesdéesses,perduedans lesnues,esthorsdelascène;l'autre,retiréedansuncoin,estdemauvaise humeur.Vénus,toutentièreÃsontriomphe,oubliecequisepasseÃcôté d'elle,etParisn'ypensepasdavantage.VoilÃtroisgroupesqueriennelie" (5:60).Diderotiseagertofilluptheamplespacewithhisownbrilliantlylit scene:"QueParis...soitdansl'ombre,quelalumièrequivientd'enhaut arrivesurlesdéessesdiversementrompueparlesarbrespénétrésparles rayonsdusoleil;qu'ellesepartagesurellesetleséclairediversement;quele peintres'enservepourfairesortirtoutl'éclatdeVénus"(62).Hepointsout thathehasnoteventouchedupontheexpressionsofParisanddiegoddesses, openingupthespaceevenfurthertotheimaginationofhisreadersinvitedto cooperateinthisre-creation:"Maisquiest-cequiimagineralecaractèreet latêtedeParis?Quiest-cequidonneraauxdéessesleursvraiesphysionomies? Quiest-cequimemontreraleursperplexitésetcelledujuge?"(62). UtPicturaPoesisNonEritI199 Theescapeintothesublime,the"horriblementbeau"thatwillcompletely underminethedescriptionintheSalonde1767isalreadyatworkinDiderot's treatmentofmythologicalandhistoricalsubjects.Pierre'srenderingofJohn theBaptist'sbeheading,"LaDécollationdeSaintJean"(1761),aparticu- larlygrislytheme,stirsupDiderot'sverve.Heobjectstothelackofbloodin Pierre'sscene,andoffershisownversion:"Lepeintren'apassentil'effetdu sangquieûtcoulélelongdubrasdel'exécuteur,etarrosélecadavremême. ...J'aimebienlestableauxdecegenredontondétournelavue,pourvuque cesoitd'horreur,etnondedégoût"(60). Thehighestformoftransgressionisthedreamsituation,presentforthe firsttimeinthere-creationofJean-HonoréFragonard's"Corésuset CalUrhoé"(1765;6:188-201).Thevehicleofthedreamproducesaseriesof v/ord-tableauxnleadingtothecUmacticmomentwhichhappenstocoincidewithFragonard'sownchoiceofdietimewhenthehighpriestCorésuskills himselftosparethevirginCalUrhoéwhomhehadbeenurgedtosacrificeto Bacchus.Theshiftfromthedreamzonebacktothedescriptionofdieartist's canvasgoesunnoticeduntilpointedoutbyafictionalGrimmwhoemphaticallyclaimsperfectequivalenceinexpressivequalitybetweentheverbal tableauxandFragonard'swork:"C'estlemêmetemple,lamêmeordonnance, lesmêmespersonnages,lamêmeaction,lesmêmescaractères,lemêmeintérêt général,lesmêmesqualités,lesmêmesdéfauts....C'estunbeaurêveque vousavezfait,c'estunbeaurêvequ'ilapeint"(6:197).Theartist-beholder relationshipisdeftlyreversed,withtheartistturnedintomerepainterofthe spectator'sdream.ThisisDiderot'sfirstextendedventureintheSalonsinto astatetranscendingreason,andaforerunnerofthetransgressiveprocessofaninvertedpyramidofvalueinthe"PromenadeVernet,"ascendingtotheapexofthecritic'sverbalcreations.12 Anintriguingchangeoccurredin1767inDiderot'sresponsetohistory paintings.Hecomplained,forinstance,aboutDoyen'smuchtalkedabout"Miracledesardents":'Toutcelan'apasassezd'airetdechamp"(7:212), butcommentedapprovinglyon"Saint-Grégoirepape":"Ilrègnedanscette compositionuncalmequimeplaît"(74).Hehadbecomewearyofmythology :"Lespeintressejettentdanscettemytiiologie,ilsperdentlegoûtdes événementsnaturelsdelavie"(86).Thereis,inalltheseremarks,alongingforspace,airiness,repos,analternateworldoutsidetheconfinesofthe Louvre.Thepaintingsmostlikelytofulfillthiswish—landscapes,seascapes, ruins—belongedtothelesserpeinturedegenregroup,alongwithstillUfes. AcloseassociationwiththeworkoflandscapepainterssuchasJean-Baptiste Leprince,Jacques-PhilippeLoutherbourg,Claude-JosephVernetandHubert RobertledDiderottoadoptanew"pastoralconception"13inthemid-1760s. 200 / COHEN Animpressionistic,mood-producingstaterequirednewreportingtechniques, withtheattendantriskoflosingsightofthepaintings.Diderot'sresponseto twoJean-Baptiste-SiméonChardinstillUfesofmusicalinstrumentsisa strikingexampleofthisdrivetoescapeinwardly.Thecriticfailstoprovide dieexpecteddescription,choosinginsteadtoevokethelandscapeofrestful...

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