François I by the Fountain of Vaucluse 

Jean-Joseph-Xavier Bidauld painted François I by the Fountain of Vaucluse in France during the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. It depicts a historical scene, yet the emphasis is on the natural landscape. At this time, the French Academy held sway over artistic tastes, defining the hierarchy of genres and privileging historical painting. Bidauld subverts this hierarchy. He includes historical figures but subordinates them to the landscape, in line with new artistic trends. He uses delicate brushwork and atmospheric perspective, rendering the natural details with scientific accuracy. Such attention to observed reality also reflects the period's Enlightenment values. To fully understand this painting, we must consider the social and artistic institutions that shaped its creation and reception. Researching Bidauld’s relationship with the Academy, the changing status of landscape painting, and the cultural context of post-revolutionary France can offer a more complete view of its meaning. The value of art, as you can see, shifts with its social and institutional context.