Fleury François Richard
François-Fleury Richard (1777-1852) was a painter from Lyon and the student of Jacques-Louis David. He started by painting portraits and historical scenes in an academic style. This painting of Valentine of Milan is the first notable picture of the artist and marked a turn in the career of Fleury. With this painting he creates a new style, the Troubadour style.
The painting was shown in the Salon of 1802 and had an immediate success, probably because it represents an important historical figure in a moment of private emotion. This sense of intimacy is also reinforced by the small size of the canvas, which is not conventional in historical compositions. It shows Valentine of Milan in a state of deep melancholy, crying over the death of her husband, the Duke of Orléans, killed by Jean Sans Peur in 1407. This composition is inspired by the tomb of Valentine of Milan and its inscription, ”Naught is left me, I am myself naught”.
The viewer feels empathy for the woman, maybe because François-Fleury painted this composition after a love break-up. The painter who studied medieval history paints Valentine in a realistic Gothic interior. The public and critics esteemed this painting because of his chiaroscuro effect along with the vivid color of the green curtain that muffles the light and create a mysterious illumination.
Valentine of Milan has been praised for her virtues by several poets, including Eustache Deschamps. Valentine is here touching a greyhound, which was in the Middle Ages a symbol of fidelity and loyalty towards a husband.
Tony Goupil