Jean-Baptiste Huet, French, 1745–1811; Activities on the Farm, c.1795; plate-printed cotton; 89 x 72 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum.
Printing the Pastoral: Visions of the Countryside in 18th-Century Europe
When: Fridays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. and Tuesdays-Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Continues through Dec. 1 2019
The consumers of middle- and upper-class society in the eighteenth century developed a passion for rural scenes of traditional country life, just as the introduction of copperplate printing to the textile industry made it possible to produce fabrics with intricately detailed scenes printed upon them. Textile factories began churning out yards of fabric with shepherds, village fêtes and strolling couples for a market that could afford to buy them as furniture coverings, bedding and curtains. Printing the Pastoral: Visions of the Countryside in 18th-Century Europe, an exhibition at the Saint Louis Art Museum, includes numerous examples of the craft, several of which have never before been shown at the museum. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a reconstructed bed with printed bedding and curtains. Printing the Pastoral continues through December 1 in gallery 100 at the Saint Louis Art Museum (1 Fine Arts Drive; www.slam.org). Admission is free.