Although there is no proof that these paintings were created as pendants, the similar size, complementary subject matter, and the appearance of the same young woman, indicate that they form the "before" and "after" of a moralizing narrative on romantic love. In The Poorly Defended Rose, both the young woman's inability to prevent her lover from picking the rose, and the broken vase at her feet, predict her moral compromise. In The Letter, with her seduction complete, the young woman must "make do" with the proxy miniature portrait her lover has sent as consolation for his absence.
Michel Garnier possessed a delicate and highly polished manner that was particularly suited to depicting the elegant life style of fashionable Parisians. The artist's attention to detail - furniture, fabric, and sculpture - accurately conveys the richness of the era's interiors. Although the subject matter in these paintings is more Rococo in sentiment, the solidly-modeled forms and their placement on a shallow 'stage' are more typical of Neoclassical compositions.
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<P>Although there is no proof that these paintings were created as pendants, the similar size, complementary subject matter, and the appearance of the same young woman, indicate that they form the "before" and "after" of a moralizing narrative on romantic love. In The Poorly Defended Rose, both the young woman's inability to prevent her lover from picking the rose, and the broken vase at her feet, predict her moral compromise. In The Letter, with her seduction complete, the young woman must "make do" with the proxy miniature portrait her lover has sent as consolation for his absence.</P><P>Michel Garnier possessed a delicate and highly polished manner that was particularly suited to depicting the elegant life style of fashionable Parisians. The artist's attention to detail - furniture, fabric, and sculpture - accurately conveys the richness of the era's interiors. Although the subject matter in these paintings is more Rococo in sentiment, the solidly-modeled forms and their placement on a shallow 'stage' are more typical of Neoclassical compositions.</P>
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