Sheet of Sketches 1735

This is Francois Boucher’s “Sheet of Sketches,” an ink drawing on paper. Boucher, who lived from 1703 to 1770, was a leading painter in the Rococo style. This sketch provides a glimpse into the visual culture of 18th-century France, which idealized pastoral life and romanticized the peasantry. Boucher often depicted scenes of leisure and pleasure, subtly reinforcing the hierarchical structures of his time through seemingly innocent imagery. The children are idealized, their bare feet alluding to a life of simplicity, which was a popular trope among the aristocratic class. "The pastoral is pleasing only when it is not real," said Boucher, highlighting the constructed nature of these images. This work invites us to consider how art, even in its most decorative forms, plays a role in shaping our understanding of social roles and cultural values.