ARCHIVES & RESEARCH COLLECTIONS, CARLETON UNIVERSITY
CATALOGUING SALON CRITICISM, 1773-1886
SELECTIONS FROM THE W. MCALLISTER JOHNSON COLLECTION
Salon Criticism in the 1800s
The nineteenth century saw many changes within the arts community within France. On the one hand, there was lingering romantic sentiment from the age of Ingres and Delacroix, and the rise of Impressionism. Furthermore, the Salon was made annual event, which made salon criticism more popular than in previous years. The reviews and commentaries on the Salon became much longer and began to be bound in luxurious bindings with gold filigree.
 Cover, Album de Salon 1840 |
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 Title page |
 PrefaceOften, the preface of Salon catalogues would include a description of the state of French art and the critics role in French society. Here, we have a description of how the critic is often seen as a self-serving person who wants to promote themselves. There is also a discussion of the biases of the art critics as well. |
 Illustration in the Salon catalogueJustice of Trajan by Eugene Delacroix. Lithograph by M. Challamel. |
 Criticism of Delacroix's workHere, we have a page of art criticism, but the critic has also included a part of the text that inspired the painting. |
Jules Robert. Album du Salon de 1840: Collections des Principaux Ouvrages Éxposés au Louvre. Ed. Challamel. Paris: Bureau de la France Littéraire, 1840.
"L'amité ou l'antipathie, et quelquefois même la haine n'ont trop souvent présidé aux revues critiques des expositions de peinture. Quant à nous, notre seul but, en publiant cet Album, est de mettre sous les yeux des amateurs de beaux-arts et des étrangers, les plus belles productions des célébrités artistiques de la France.
Artistes nous-mêmes, nous espérons servir la cause des artistes, auxquels nous dédions cet ouvrage."
~ Challamel
This catalogue reproduces artworks from the Salon and pairs them with 1-2 pages of description and explanation of the subject matter.
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La Vérité sur Le Salon ed. E. Dentu. Paris: Librairie de la societé des gens de lettres, 1886.
Call No. 1886 N5066 V47 1886
"On le voit, la critique se neutralise elle-même par ses oppositions; mais qui lit tous les journaux pour savoir cela? On ne lit qu'une ou deux feuilles, et les plus sages ne sont pas toujours les plus répandues." (85)
The volume from 1886 argues that it is imperative to develop in France a taste for the arts; however it also goes on to say that the Salons suppress artists' talents. Artists exert so much effort in their pursuit of the medal of honour and for fame and fortune that they lose themselves in "le beau idéal." The author also notes that there were too many artists for the Salon to accommodate—what happens to them? He suggests that the Salon needs to evolve with the times instead of remaining a static institution. However, the main focus of the book is on the critics themselves. The section entitled "L'Ennemie de l'Art" explores the notion that critics do not know much about the artists themselves, and that all they write are insults. La Verite sur le Salon ends with a play, La Comedie au Salon, that critiques the critics and their biases.
Click the button below to read the first act of La Comedie au Salon.
 Title page |
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 Premiere Journee |
 Deuxieme Journee |
 Troisieme Journee |
Edmund About. Quinze Journées au Salon de Peinture et de Sculpture (Année 1883) Paris: Librairie des Bibliophiles, 1883.
Call No. 1883 N5066. A24 1883
This volume is an extensive tour of the 1883 Salon that provides a critical view of the artworks exhibited that year. The author believes that writing salon criticism is a public duty, and that the public needs to know about the state of French art each year.
Included in the slideshow are examples of both good and bad criticism, and how the biases of the critic are always present in the criticism that they write.