'Souvenirs des grandes manœuvres' (1879) by Detaille

Hello and welcome to Art Minutes. I'm Keri Elkins, Museum Specialist at the Appleton Museum of Art and this is Souvenir des Grandes Manoeuvres or Remembering the Grand Manoeuvres by Jean-Baptiste Edouard de Taille. This painting of a military scene depicts French soldiers participating in an exercise near a decrepit wooden windmill. Some soldiers are on horseback while others either operate cannons on top of the hill or are in crouched positions on the hillside. A small group of civilian spectators have gathered to watch in the lower left of the canvas, some wearing blue smocks. Jean-Baptiste Edouard de Taille was a French painter known for his paintings of military scenes. Born in 1848 in Paris, de Taille came from an affluent family living in Picardie with a military background, his grandfather having been an arms supplier to At age 17, he became a student to academic artist Ernest Messonnier who was known for his military scenes. When the Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870, de Taille enlisted in the French army and made topographical plans as well as depictions of battle and military life. He documented his wartime experience in sketchbooks, occasionally with photographs, becoming the quasi-official painter of the French army. De Taille's painting process was preceded by numerous preliminary sketches and studying the specific locations. His attention to detail is evidenced in the realistic and humanizing renderings of the scenes he created. The majority of de Taille's work focused on the military as a subject matter in times of both war and peace. As the title states, this particular scene depicts the French army in the middle of a grand maneuver. In French military history, the grand maneuver is an annual maneuver or tactical military drill that occurs each autumn. This particular autumn day seems to be a warm one as we see one of the bystanders dabbing away some sweat. It is these smaller details of the painting that make it so interesting. There is also a wonderful sort of where's Waldo aspect to the work where de Taille has likely inserted himself in the painting. Can you find him? He's hiding amongst the group of spectators in the lower left carrying an easel, canvases, and other supplies. It wouldn't be the first time as de Taille also incorporated himself, Maisonnier, and other contemporaries in his 1875 work, The Passing Regiment. The last half of the 19th century saw the rise of impressionism, realism, and naturalism that challenged the more traditional academic style and even the invention of photography challenged them all in terms of what was quote-unquote real. What the movements also had in common are their focus on modern life, landscapes, and genre subjects based on direct observation, which mostly meant plein air painting. This scene is an excellent example of de Taille's realistic and meticulous depictions, which we can see in the uniforms and weaponry of the soldiers, the attire of the spectators that are closest to the viewer, as well as the deteriorating windmill. Yet in contrast is the impressionist background with its blurred wispy grass and billowing smoke from the cannons that blends almost seamlessly into the clouds in the sky. The scene is very much a capturing of a moment, a prevailing characteristic throughout de Taille's works. Thank you for listening. We look forward to sharing more about our collection with you in the next Art Minutes. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on social media.