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Ut Pictura Poesis

Charles-François Hutin

1746

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Baroque 18th Century Allegory

Dominant colour

Ut Pictura Poesis is a 1746 by Charles-François Hutin, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Charles-François Hutin
When & what style?: 1746 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This painting shows a grand hall filled with artists and classical statues. Putti in the front carve a bust of Louis XV while others sketch a live model. Statues like the Farnese Hercules and Venus de’ Medici line the room. Hutin painted this in the 1740s to celebrate art schools. The Latin phrase on the tablet means "as is painting, so is poetry." It argues art and poetry work the same way. This scene feels like a snapshot of an old art class. Check out Charles-François Hutin (French, 1715–1776) for more like this.

The story of this work

Overview

Hutin’s drawing is an allegorical celebration of academic artistic training. The words UT PICTURA POESIS engraved on the stone tablet translate “as is painting, so is poetry.” Classical figures throughout the grand hall discuss their work as they practice different methods of making images. In the foreground, putti sculpt a portrait bust of Louis XV; behind them artists practice drawing a nude model. Among the sculptures in the room are the Farnese Hercules and the Venus de’ Medici, both famous Roman marbles in Italy, where Hutin trained from 1737 to 1742. In the upper right, Fame flies with…

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Charles-François Hutin

Charles François Hutin (4 July 1715 – 29 July 1776) was a French history and figure painter, engraver and sculptor. He became director of the Royal Academy of Arts in Dresden.

See the richer artist page