Simon Mathurin Lantara stands as a fascinating, if somewhat enigmatic, figure in the annals of 18th-century French art. A landscape painter of considerable natural talent, his life was marked by a bohemian spirit and a distinct lack of commercial ambition, which perhaps prevented him from achieving the widespread fame of some of his contemporaries during his lifetime. Nevertheless, his intuitive approach to capturing the nuances of light and atmosphere, particularly in his depictions of different times of day, positions him as an important precursor to the Barbizon School and, by extension, to the Impressionist movement. His work, characterized by a charming simplicity and sincerity, offers a refreshing counterpoint to the more formal or Rococo-inflected art prevalent in his era.
Early Life and Serendipitous Discovery
Simon Mathurin Lantara was born on March 24, 1729, in Oncy-sur-École, a small village near Milly-la-Forêt in the Île-de-France region. His father was reportedly a weaver, and Lantara's early life was one of rural simplicity. He spent his youth as a shepherd boy, tending flocks in the picturesque countryside around the Château de la Renoumière near Noisy-sur-École. It was in this pastoral setting that his innate artistic talents first began to manifest.
Legend has it that the young Lantara, with no formal training, would use charcoal to sketch the scenes around him on rocks and any other available surfaces. His remarkable ability to capture the essence of the landscape did not go unnoticed. His drawings attracted the attention of influential individuals who recognized his raw talent and potential. This discovery was a pivotal moment, rescuing him from a life of rural obscurity and setting him on a path, however unconventional, towards an artistic career. The Duke de La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt is often cited as one of his early patrons or benefactors who facilitated his initial steps into the art world.
Artistic Apprenticeship and Parisian Aspirations
Following the recognition of his talent, Lantara was afforded the opportunity for some formal training. He was initially placed as an apprentice to a painter in Versailles. This experience, though its specific details are scarce, would have exposed him to the prevailing artistic currents and techniques of the time, likely within the orbit of the French court's artistic demands. Versailles, the opulent seat of French power, was a hub of artistic activity, though Lantara's later work suggests he was not overly swayed by the grandeur of academic history painting or the decorative excesses of high Rococo, as exemplified by artists like François Boucher or Jean-Honoré Fragonard.
After his stint in Versailles, Lantara made his way to Paris, the undisputed center of the European art world. In the capital, he sought to further his artistic education and establish himself as an independent painter. Paris in the mid-18th century was a vibrant, competitive environment. The Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture (Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture) dominated official artistic life, and the biennial Salons were the primary venues for artists to exhibit their work and gain recognition. Lantara, however, seems to have operated largely outside these formal structures.
He set up his own business, engaging in both painting and engraving. However, accounts consistently suggest he possessed little business acumen. His works were often sold for modest sums, sometimes bartered for immediate necessities, reflecting a man more concerned with the present moment than with building a sustainable career or fortune. This lack of commercial drive, coupled with a reportedly carefree and somewhat dissolute lifestyle, contributed to his financial struggles throughout his life.
Artistic Style, Themes, and Techniques
Lantara's true gift lay in his sensitive and direct observation of nature. He specialized in landscapes, particularly those depicting specific times of day, which allowed him to explore the varied effects of light. His favored subjects included sunrises, the full light of noon, evocative sunsets, and tranquil moonlit scenes. This focus on the transient qualities of light and atmosphere was quite innovative for its time and foreshadowed the preoccupations of later landscape painters.
His style is often described as possessing a "simplicity and naivety," yet this should not be mistaken for a lack of skill. Rather, it points to an unpretentious, honest approach to his subject matter. He eschewed the idealized, classical landscapes of predecessors like Claude Lorrain or the picturesque, often Italianate, compositions favored by many contemporaries. Instead, Lantara sought to capture the more immediate, tangible beauty of the French countryside he knew. His paintings often possess a quiet, contemplative mood.
While he was a gifted landscape artist, Lantara was reportedly less adept at, or perhaps less interested in, painting figures. Consequently, it was not uncommon for other artists to add figures to his landscapes. Among those mentioned as collaborators in this regard are Joseph Vernet, himself a renowned painter of seascapes and landscapes often imbued with dramatic light, and a lesser-known artist named Émile Benoist. This practice was not entirely unusual at the time, with specialization leading to such collaborations. Vernet, for instance, was highly successful and his willingness to contribute to Lantara's work suggests a recognition of Lantara's talent in his primary domain.
Lantara worked in oils, and some sources also mention watercolors. His canvases were often of a modest scale, suitable for private collectors rather than grand public display. His handling of paint was likely direct, aiming to capture the fleeting effects he observed. The "truth to nature" that critics later found in his work was a hallmark that distinguished him.
The Parisian Art Milieu and Lantara's Position
The mid-18th century Parisian art world was complex. While the Academy upheld a hierarchy of genres, with history painting at its apex, landscape painting was gaining in popularity and status. Artists like Jean-Baptiste Oudry, known for his animal paintings and hunts, also produced accomplished landscapes. Hubert Robert was making a name for himself with his picturesque views and ruinscapes. The aforementioned Joseph Vernet was immensely popular for his series "Ports of France."
Lantara, however, seems to have existed on the fringes of this official art world. He was not a member of the Academy and his exhibition record at the Salon, if any, is not prominent. His independent spirit and perhaps his bohemian lifestyle kept him apart from the mainstream. He preferred, it is said, the company of artisans and a less structured existence. This choice, while perhaps personally fulfilling, limited his access to patronage and the kind of critical attention that could build a major reputation during his lifetime.
Despite this, his talent was recognized by connoisseurs and fellow artists. His ability to render light with such fidelity was particularly admired. The art critic Paul Mantz, writing later, praised his work for its freshness, suggesting it was "as if born from an eternally young soul." This captures the enduring appeal of his unpretentious vision.
Representative Works
Pinpointing an extensive and definitively attributed oeuvre for Lantara is challenging due to his informal career and the passage of time. However, several works are consistently associated with him and are held in public collections, offering insight into his style.
One of his most celebrated paintings is Landscape by Moonlight (Paysage au clair de lune), created around 1778 and now housed in the Musée du Louvre in Paris. This work exemplifies his skill in capturing the ethereal quality of nocturnal light, the subtle gradations of tone, and the serene atmosphere of a moonlit scene. The composition is typically straightforward, allowing the play of light on the landscape elements to take center stage.
The Louvre also holds a painting titled Morning (Matin), dated 1761. This piece would have showcased his ability to render the delicate light of dawn, a subject that fascinated him. Such works, depicting specific times of day, were part of a tradition, but Lantara brought a particular sensitivity and directness to them.
A print of his View of the Arsenal and Gunpowder Magazine (Vue de l'Arsenal et du magasin à poudre) is in the collection of the Musée Carnavalet in Paris, indicating his work was also disseminated through engravings, potentially reaching a wider audience.
His works often featured simple motifs: a winding river, a cluster of trees, a rustic building, all animated by the particular quality of light he chose to depict. The figures, when present and sometimes added by others, often serve to animate the scene rather than being the primary focus.
Challenges, Character, and Later Life
Lantara's life was a testament to the archetype of the gifted but impractical artist. Accounts suggest he was improvident, often living hand-to-mouth despite his talents. He was said to be fond of drink and the convivial atmosphere of taverns, which, while perhaps fueling a certain romantic image, did little to advance his career or secure his financial well-being.
There's an anecdote that he grew weary of the demands of a regular life and, after a final auction of his works, essentially gave up painting to live a more carefree existence among working-class companions. While the veracity of such stories can be debated, they paint a picture of a man who valued personal freedom and immediate pleasures over ambition and material success.
This disinterest in self-promotion and the conventional path to artistic success meant that he never amassed wealth or widespread official accolades during his lifetime. He died in poverty in Paris on December 22, 1778, at the relatively young age of 49, in the Hôpital de la Charité, an institution for the poor. His passing went largely unremarked by the broader art establishment at the time.
Artistic Influence and Legacy: A Forerunner of Barbizon
Despite the obscurity of his later years and his modest contemporary reputation, Simon Mathurin Lantara's artistic contributions have earned him a significant place in the history of French landscape painting. His true importance lies in his role as a precursor to the Barbizon School, which flourished in the mid-19th century.
The Barbizon painters, including artists like Théodore Rousseau, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-François Millet, Charles-François Daubigny, Narcisse Virgilio Díaz de la Peña, Constant Troyon, and Jules Dupré, shared Lantara's commitment to the direct observation of nature and the depiction of the French countryside. They, too, were fascinated by the effects of light and atmosphere and sought a more naturalistic and less idealized approach to landscape than had been common previously. Lantara's unpretentious focus on specific times of day and his sincere rendering of local scenery can be seen as an early manifestation of the spirit that would later animate the Barbizon artists. His student, Charles-Emile Lambinet, also became a landscape painter associated with this naturalistic tradition.
The Barbizon School, in turn, paved the way for Impressionism. The Impressionists, such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Alfred Sisley, took the study of light and atmospheric effects to new heights, emphasizing fleeting moments and subjective visual sensations. Lantara's early explorations of light, his "simple and naive" style, and his dedication to capturing the essence of a scene rather than its idealized form, can be seen as an early step on this evolutionary path. While not an Impressionist himself, his work contained seeds that would later blossom in their art.
His influence might also be seen in relation to other 18th-century artists who valued directness. For example, while Jean-Siméon Chardin focused on still life and genre scenes, his profound realism and humble subject matter share a certain affinity with Lantara's unadorned approach to landscape. Both artists found beauty in the ordinary, rendered with honesty and skill. Even the Dutch Golden Age landscape painters of the 17th century, such as Jacob van Ruisdael and Meindert Hobbema, with their meticulous attention to natural detail and atmospheric conditions, represent an earlier tradition of naturalistic landscape that Lantara's work, in its own French context, seems to echo.
Conclusion: Re-evaluating a Singular Talent
Simon Mathurin Lantara remains a figure who invites re-evaluation. He was an artist of genuine, if untutored, genius, whose intuitive understanding of light and landscape was ahead of its time. His personal choices and lack of conventional ambition may have consigned him to a life of struggle and limited contemporary fame, but the inherent quality of his work and its prescient nature secure his importance.
He stands as a bridge, however unintentional, between earlier landscape traditions and the revolutionary movements of the 19th century. His dedication to capturing the ephemeral beauty of the French countryside, with a sincerity that transcended academic convention, marks him as a significant, if often overlooked, pioneer. The quiet poetry of his sunrises, sunsets, and moonlit scenes continues to resonate, a testament to an artist who, despite his personal foibles, possessed an authentic and enduring vision. His legacy is not in grand monuments or official honors, but in the subtle yet profound influence he exerted on the course of landscape painting, championing a direct and heartfelt engagement with the natural world.
