Venus Consoling Love

Venus Consoling Love or The Bath of Venus is a painting by François Boucher. It is signed and dated 1751. It measures 107 x 84.8 cm (42 1/8 x 33 3/8 in.) It hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The painting once belonged to Mme de Pompadour. Boucher was Pompadour's favorite artist. The painting may have been intended for her apartment at Versailles or for her chateau at Bellevue.

She allegedly posed for the painting. It is more likely Venus was a product of Boucher's imagination. The technical dexterity evident in the painting is the principal charm of Rococo art.

"Boucher's success in communicating the charm and sensuality of the nude lies in his mastery of color and fluid brushstrokes ... The painting exemplifies the rococo love of asymmetric lines and sinuous curves, artfully arranged to seduce both the eye and the mind of the beholder."

 References 

Category:1750s paintings
Category:Paintings in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Category:French paintings