Description of the picture:
Paralytic – Jean-Baptiste Greuze. 1763. Oil on canvas. 115.5×146
French painter Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805) became famous as a portrait painter and artist, who wrote works on the topic of kinship. In the genre of family life, he had almost no rivals in French painting.
Painting “Paralytic”, a typical example of the art of the Enlightenment, was the main event of the Paris exhibition in 1763. The master introduced a large family that gathered around a paralyzed old man. A humble hard-working worker is surrounded by tender care and universal love. No wonder the canvas has a second name – “The fruits of a good upbringing.” Dreaming sought to create works that encourage virtue. The main moral of the work is the superiority of the common man over the depravity of the French nobleman. The painter perfectly groups the figures, however, the scene looks somewhat sentimental and theatrical. The success of the picture with the audience was huge. The favor of criticism of Denny Didro, adviser to the Russian Empress, contributed to the acquisition in one thousand seven hundred sixty six of the painting by Catherine II from the author himself. The Hermitage funds contain many preparatory drawings for this work."
