Artwork
Are They Thinking about the Grape? (Pensent-ils au raisin?)
Are They Thinking about the Grape? (Pensent-ils au raisin?) is an oil painting by the Baroque artist François Boucher. It dates from 1747 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Are They Thinking about the Grape?
About this work
Overview
Are They Thinking about the Grape? is an oil on canvas painting depicting a young couple in a serene outdoor setting.
Subject & Meaning
The scene is derived from a 1745 pantomime about a shepherd's awakening love for a shepherdess. The couple feeding each other grapes, a fruit linked to Bacchus, implies their encounter may not be entirely innocent.
Technique & Style
The painting exemplifies François Boucher's style, characterized by lush and playful depictions of rustic life, designed for the private enjoyment of the aristocracy and wealthy financiers.
Context
Boucher's pastoral compositions, like this one, were influential in 18th-century French art, offering fantasies of rural life that diverged from the actual social realities of rural labor.
Artist & collection
Artist
François Boucher was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher, who worked in the Rococo style.
