Portrait of a Man 1735 - 1780

Gabriel de Saint-Aubin created this portrait of an unknown man in France, sometime in the mid-18th century, using graphite on laid paper. It's a study of someone who would have been part of the artist's milieu. Saint-Aubin was not part of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, the institution which dominated the French art world and whose members held a monopoly over public commissions. Saint-Aubin worked outside this system, documenting public life in Paris. He depicted the everyday life of the city’s burgeoning middle class, their entertainments, and their participation in the art world. Although the sitter in this portrait is unknown, the drawing gives us clues about his status. The artist focuses on the sitter’s face, especially his elegant profile, with his powdered wig marking him as a man of some standing. To understand this portrait better, we can look at its relationship to the official art world of the time. The Royal Academy was interested in elevating painting to the status of intellectual endeavor, so this informal portrait, made with an easily transportable medium, stands outside that project.