When played through an optical device, Carmontelle’s 12-1/2 foot long drawing animates to tell a story of 18th-century leisure.
Figures Walking in a Parkland, France, c. 1783–1800, Louis Carrogis de Carmontelle. Watercolor and gouache with traces of black chalk underdrawing, on translucent Whatman paper, 47.3 x 377 cm. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Speakers: Danielle Canter, Assistant Curator, Department of Drawings, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, and Beth Harris, Executive Director, Smarthistory
What did people watch before films and digital media? This twelve-and-a-half-foot transparent drawing engages viewers in an immersive experience using optical devices. The artist designed Figures Walking in a Parkland to be enjoyed scene by scene, cranked through a device that illuminated the imagery from behind. Carmontelle incorporated light, narration, animation, and movement resulting in a magical visual experience of 18th-century leisure.
Getty has joined forces with Smarthistory to bring you an in-depth look at select works within our collection, whether you want to learn more at home or make art more accessible in your classroom. This video series illuminates art history concepts through fun, unscripted conversations between art historians, curators, archaeologists, scientists, and artists, committed to a fresh take on the history of visual arts.
“Figures Walking in a Parkland” is featured in the exhibition “Paper and Light,” part of the larger initiative “PST ART: Art & Science Collide.”
