Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
Peinture de circonstance
English translation:
modern genre OR narrative art
Added to glossary by
Yvonne Gallagher
Nov 27, 2019 17:55
4 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term
Peinture de circonstance
French to English
Art/Literary
Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
I'm wanting to know whether this is a specific art genre – it would seem to be, in French at least – or whether I can choose to translate it as I see fit. Here's the sentence and the one before it for more context. It's part of a long interview with the artist and one of two texts in a monograph of his work.
Dans un portrait, il y a très peu de récit, mais tu finis quand même par raconter quelque chose sur l’être humain. Sans parler d’une peinture historique, ou de circonstance, comme par exemple la peinture de Balthus.
I've have been unable to find an equivalent in English, despite searching with every synonym I can think of!
Dans un portrait, il y a très peu de récit, mais tu finis quand même par raconter quelque chose sur l’être humain. Sans parler d’une peinture historique, ou de circonstance, comme par exemple la peinture de Balthus.
I've have been unable to find an equivalent in English, despite searching with every synonym I can think of!
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
Nov 29, 2019 11:26: Yvonne Gallagher Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+2
1 hr
Selected
not a genre as such...
Interesting! I don't believe it is a genre in English, and not sure it is in French either? I've never heard or seen of it (nor of "circumstantial painting" /"occasional painting" either).
Here the text is about the (lack of) "récit" of a portrait being contrasted with historical painting (i.e. that depicts some historical occasion and thus is a récit) or a peinture de circonstance, (showcasing/depicting the circumstances) as in "la peinture de Balthus".
So certainly Baltus' painting are not portraits with very little récit but rather incite all sorts of questions and controversies about the models (especially the adolescent girls depicted in very erotic ways) and the stories or récits portrayed.
So I think that is the angle to take here. I really don't think you can come up with a 2 word equivalent in English that will work.
So I'd suggest going with the récit/story aspect. Some thing like
"Dans un portrait, il y a très peu de récit, mais tu finis quand même par raconter quelque chose sur l’être humain,... comme par exemple la peinture de Balthus"
There is very little narrative/story-telling in portrait painting but nevertheless you finish by saying something about the human being (portrayed), like in a historical painting or the occasions and stories that a Balthus painting may showcase/depict/give rise to
WordReference has a few threads on the term (including one started by you I see) but I like the "showcase" of the film one though I wouldn't say "showcase art" either.
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/film-de-circonstance...
I thought of "commemorative" as well and certainly portraits are often commisioned and painted to commemorate occasions but I don't think this can be associated with Balthus though of course the portrait in question may well be!
I thought of "opportunistic art" too, i.e. the artist seizing the opportunity to paint what they see, but again, I don't really see how this would relate to Balthus who certainly "staged" his work
so, difficult to say but I have a feeling the Balthus ref. is a bit of a red herring. After all, this is an artist who refused to give any biographical details or allow these details or descriptions of his works to be shown! It was up to the spectator to decide on the narrative/récit to take from each painting
Hope my thinking aloud has helped!
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Note added at 1 hr (2019-11-27 19:50:46 GMT)
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oops! I meant to highlight/bold some words that may be useful like the occasions and stories that a Balthus painting may showcase/depict/give rise to
or other words like narrate, showcase, commemorative (commissioned and painted to commemorate occasions), opportunistic
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Note added at 1 hr (2019-11-27 19:54:40 GMT)
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BTW it's important to have a look at a definition of "circumstantial" to see why it won't work https://www.dictionary.com/browse/circumstantial
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Note added at 1 day 17 hrs (2019-11-29 11:21:42 GMT) Post-grading
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Glad to have helped. I think it's very difficult to categorise Balthus or try to pigeonhole him. Certainly, he can be seen as a modern genre painter but his paintings also fit into the modern genre or narrative art category which seems to be what the context is about here.
I'd normally agree with Helen but personally I would not see his works as "satirical" and also would not slot him into a "moral painter" pigeonhole.
So, I'd probably work around it rather than settling on one category as I suggested earlier
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Note added at 1 day 17 hrs (2019-11-29 11:25:30 GMT) Post-grading
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But for the purposes of the glossary I'll change the header
Here the text is about the (lack of) "récit" of a portrait being contrasted with historical painting (i.e. that depicts some historical occasion and thus is a récit) or a peinture de circonstance, (showcasing/depicting the circumstances) as in "la peinture de Balthus".
So certainly Baltus' painting are not portraits with very little récit but rather incite all sorts of questions and controversies about the models (especially the adolescent girls depicted in very erotic ways) and the stories or récits portrayed.
So I think that is the angle to take here. I really don't think you can come up with a 2 word equivalent in English that will work.
So I'd suggest going with the récit/story aspect. Some thing like
"Dans un portrait, il y a très peu de récit, mais tu finis quand même par raconter quelque chose sur l’être humain,... comme par exemple la peinture de Balthus"
There is very little narrative/story-telling in portrait painting but nevertheless you finish by saying something about the human being (portrayed), like in a historical painting or the occasions and stories that a Balthus painting may showcase/depict/give rise to
WordReference has a few threads on the term (including one started by you I see) but I like the "showcase" of the film one though I wouldn't say "showcase art" either.
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/film-de-circonstance...
I thought of "commemorative" as well and certainly portraits are often commisioned and painted to commemorate occasions but I don't think this can be associated with Balthus though of course the portrait in question may well be!
I thought of "opportunistic art" too, i.e. the artist seizing the opportunity to paint what they see, but again, I don't really see how this would relate to Balthus who certainly "staged" his work
so, difficult to say but I have a feeling the Balthus ref. is a bit of a red herring. After all, this is an artist who refused to give any biographical details or allow these details or descriptions of his works to be shown! It was up to the spectator to decide on the narrative/récit to take from each painting
Hope my thinking aloud has helped!
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2019-11-27 19:50:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
oops! I meant to highlight/bold some words that may be useful like the occasions and stories that a Balthus painting may showcase/depict/give rise to
or other words like narrate, showcase, commemorative (commissioned and painted to commemorate occasions), opportunistic
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2019-11-27 19:54:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
BTW it's important to have a look at a definition of "circumstantial" to see why it won't work https://www.dictionary.com/browse/circumstantial
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Note added at 1 day 17 hrs (2019-11-29 11:21:42 GMT) Post-grading
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Glad to have helped. I think it's very difficult to categorise Balthus or try to pigeonhole him. Certainly, he can be seen as a modern genre painter but his paintings also fit into the modern genre or narrative art category which seems to be what the context is about here.
I'd normally agree with Helen but personally I would not see his works as "satirical" and also would not slot him into a "moral painter" pigeonhole.
So, I'd probably work around it rather than settling on one category as I suggested earlier
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Note added at 1 day 17 hrs (2019-11-29 11:25:30 GMT) Post-grading
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But for the purposes of the glossary I'll change the header
Peer comment(s):
agree |
ormiston
: Agree with your reasoning and was wondering if it can be likened to the 'narrative' genre, i.e. related to specific moments/ circulstances
11 mins
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Many thanks. Yes, was in a rush last night. (And busy today) So, "modern genre painting" or "narrative art". https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/n/narrative
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agree |
Ph_B (X)
: with your reasoning (but I think it's a genre in itself) and with ormiston
10 hrs
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Many thanks:-) So "modern genre painting" or "narrative art". https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/n/narrative
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neutral |
Helen Shiner
: It is the equivalent of ‘peinture de moeurs’, a satirical sub-set of ‘genre painting’. Satirising mores/manners of a particular societal group or society as a whole./Please see my post for an explanation of what ‘modern moral painting’ is about.
11 hrs
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Is that what Balthus is doing? He offers moral conumdrums to the viewer in some works it's true but not at all sure I'd call them "moral paintings"? Or "satirical" for that matter//Please don't talk down to me. I'm aware of the term
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
19 mins
occasional painting
In the sense of a work painted to mark a specific occasion. I am going by analogy with "occasional music", which is widely used in this sense: https://www.britannica.com/art/choral-music/Occasional-music...
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Note added at 29 mins (2019-11-27 18:25:55 GMT)
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"paintings for special occasions" (as a phrase) gets a substantial number of hits. You may want to consider it.
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Note added at 29 mins (2019-11-27 18:25:55 GMT)
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"paintings for special occasions" (as a phrase) gets a substantial number of hits. You may want to consider it.
Note from asker:
That's how I understand it but really want to know whether there's a generally accepted 'genre name' for this. Not sure about the use of 'occasional' because it has another more obvious meaning. |
OK, thanks, I'll bear that in mind. I should have noted in my original post that I did check out the artist mentioned. It wasn't much help and can't see how his work relates to painting for special occasions (or any other similar definition, mind you). |
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
SafeTex
: From a bit of reading, I can see that Balthus was famous for painting young girls who I asume posed for him. i therefore doubt that the speaker meant paintings for "great occasions" as in this answer
15 mins
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33 mins
Circumstantial painting
A painting that represents an event, a moment in time.
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Note added at 34 minutes (2019-11-27 18:30:06 GMT)
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*such (typo)
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Note added at 34 minutes (2019-11-27 18:30:06 GMT)
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*such (typo)
Example sentence:
One tomb has suche a detailed and circumstantial painting that it is thought to represent an actual historic event...'
http://www.robertsonproductions.ca/autumn/authentication.html
Note from asker:
Thanks. I see that you specialise in this area so I assume this means you've come across 'circumstantial painting' elsewhere, i.e. as a recognised genre, rather than that it's a (good) solution?! |
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
SafeTex
: From a bit of reading, I can see that Balthus was famous for painting young girls who I asume posed for him. i therefore doubt that the speaker meant paintings for "great occasions" as in this answer
4 mins
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1 hr
Commissioned painting
IMHO, what is meant here is a painting that was ordered to cover a given event, or people.
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
philgoddard
: I'm not convinced by this, but French references might persuade me.
16 mins
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neutral |
Lorraine Dubuc
: This is 'peinture sur commande ou demande' and is not 'de circonstance' in my opinion. Peinture sur commande would fit this description.
30 mins
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neutral |
SafeTex
: i doubt very much that the young girls ordered paintings of themselves and had the money to pay for it afterwards
3 hrs
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+2
4 hrs
situational painting
Hello
I've come to this tenuous conclusion based on the reference.
However, when you look at examples of situational art on the Internet, they vary greatly. I've seen Arabic situational paintings nothing like Balthus' paintings (the Arabic paintings are far more pudic) and comic characters in comic situations.
So it doesn't seem to be a style of painting but more an idea of depicting characters in situations (de circonstance ?)
I've come to this tenuous conclusion based on the reference.
However, when you look at examples of situational art on the Internet, they vary greatly. I've seen Arabic situational paintings nothing like Balthus' paintings (the Arabic paintings are far more pudic) and comic characters in comic situations.
So it doesn't seem to be a style of painting but more an idea of depicting characters in situations (de circonstance ?)
Reference:
https://www.artandeducation.net/announcements/231188/situational-the-body-in-contemporary-painting
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Yolanda Broad
1 hr
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Thanks. Happy to get any agrees on this one as it's so uncertain.
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agree |
Lorraine Dubuc
: Truly like and agree with this option. I think this broadens the concept of 'peinture de circonstance'.
2 hrs
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Thanks. Happy to get any agrees on this one as it's so uncertain.
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neutral |
Helen Shiner
: No, it is the equivalent of “peinture de moeurs”./That’s actually not what I’m suggesting as a translation. My post a bit of a mess with links not working too well, but I hope Asker can find the argumentation.
9 hrs
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Hello Helen. You have an interesting idea. "Genre painting" depicts everyday scenes but most of Balthus' paintings are of young girls with sexual overtones so I'm simply not sure if "genre painting" is better or not
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neutral |
Yvonne Gallagher
: "based on the reference" How? I don't see any definition or explanation in this link? And very few examples on Google?
12 hrs
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Hello Yvonne. I completely agree with you and i said as much in the post which I only gave a 2 level of confidence
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7 hrs
genre painting
I think this is a synonym for ‘peinture de moeurs’ (see https://books.google.com/books/about/Paris.html?id=yQ7qAwAAQ... In English this is referred to as ‘moral painting’ (see Tate’s definition in reference to Hogarth: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/m/modern-moral-subject... It is effectively a satirical ‘genre scene’, portraying and sending up the mores of a society or set of people, which may arguably be a way of viewing Balthus’s painting.
An equivalent of this term in drama may perhaps be the ‘comedy of manners’ (see https://www.britannica.com/art/comedy-of-manners). Though that term is not used in painting. Satirical, narrative painting.
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Note added at 7 hrs (2019-11-28 01:13:14 GMT)
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I meant to add ‘moral painting’ or ‘painting of morals and manners’ to the headline as a sub-set of ‘genre painting’. Apologies.
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Note added at 8 hrs (2019-11-28 02:07:54 GMT)
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‘Modern moral painting’ https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/m/modern-moral-subject... I think I would either use this term or ‘satirical genre painting’, which is less specific to Hogarth, though not used exclusively by him.
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Note added at 13 hrs (2019-11-28 07:37:51 GMT)
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Posting the first link again (no idea why it’s not functioning): https://books.google.com/books/about/Paris.html?id=yQ7qAwAAQ...
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Note added at 13 hrs (2019-11-28 07:44:28 GMT)
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The link still isn’t showing what I’m seeing. If you search in this book using “peinture de moeurs” and “circonstance”, it should bring up the relevant passage, which explains the terms as equivalent.
An equivalent of this term in drama may perhaps be the ‘comedy of manners’ (see https://www.britannica.com/art/comedy-of-manners). Though that term is not used in painting. Satirical, narrative painting.
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Note added at 7 hrs (2019-11-28 01:13:14 GMT)
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I meant to add ‘moral painting’ or ‘painting of morals and manners’ to the headline as a sub-set of ‘genre painting’. Apologies.
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Note added at 8 hrs (2019-11-28 02:07:54 GMT)
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‘Modern moral painting’ https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/m/modern-moral-subject... I think I would either use this term or ‘satirical genre painting’, which is less specific to Hogarth, though not used exclusively by him.
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Note added at 13 hrs (2019-11-28 07:37:51 GMT)
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Posting the first link again (no idea why it’s not functioning): https://books.google.com/books/about/Paris.html?id=yQ7qAwAAQ...
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Note added at 13 hrs (2019-11-28 07:44:28 GMT)
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The link still isn’t showing what I’m seeing. If you search in this book using “peinture de moeurs” and “circonstance”, it should bring up the relevant passage, which explains the terms as equivalent.
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
SafeTex
: Genre painting depicts common everyday life so I'm just not sure if it is the right term for the erotic paintings of young girls that he often painted. But the suggestion is certainly valid
9 hrs
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That’s not what I’m suggesting. I made a mistake in the headline suggestion, failing to add key elements, but if you read my post, you’ll see what I’m suggesting.
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Discussion
"His work...informed his own narrative ability to impart dramatic trajectories to the scenes he portrayed in his paintings of ordinary settings.
His investment in figurative image-making helped reinforce the value of representational painting as a critical force in a century which saw many artistic movements turn toward abstraction.
"challenge the limits of customary moral acceptability through a traditional, figurative genre. As New Yorker magazine art critic Peter Schjeldahl writes: "Balthus sticks us with a moral conundrum, because he can. His elegantly nuanced violations of taboo won for his conservatively figurative art enthusiastic esteem in the largely Surrealist, devoutly libertine Parisian avant-garde of the nineteen-thirties..." OR https://books.google.ie/books?id=C0JHAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT185&lpg=P...
if you are suggesting "moral painting", copy the body of your entry, then delete your original post and repost with the right heading and paste in your discussion (takes 30 seconds to do)
I'm not knocking your suggestion, quite the opposite. It should be up there as it is clearly valid and useful but needs the right heading of course
Regards
SafeTex
It doesn't help that online examples of peinture de circonstance seem to have contradictory meanings...but a slight change in punctuation clears things up a wee bit:
Dans un portrait, il y a très peu de récit, mais tu finis quand même par raconter quelque chose sur l’être humain—sans parler d’une peinture historique, ou de circonstance—comme par exemple la peinture de Balthus.
Perhaps bits of the interview were inaccurately transcribed?
@Asker, does the surrounding text or any information you have on the painter and his work shed any light on this?
I'm also not sure what "sans parler de" means in this context.
Having now read a bit about Balthus, and if you look at his paintings, they are certainly not historical or of great events.
So for that reason, I don't think "de circonstance" is rightly interpreted here as "circumstantial or occasional" but that the interviewee must have meant something else. What however is debatable.