HomeFaire le fou. L’art des bouffons dans l’Europe moderne
Faire le fou. L’art des bouffons dans l’Europe moderne
Playing Fools? The Art of the Jester in Modern Europe
Published on Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Abstract
The jester is a paradoxical figure: a subordinate included in elite social circles. Thus, he is an outsider, albeit a remarkably proficient one. Jesters, comprising fools, dwarfs, and other “monsters” – both men and women, often with disabilities – are itinerant, travelling from one court to another or from the precursors of psychiatric hospitals to the realms of royalty. The conference aims to scrutinise the competition between artists and jesters, with the latter frequently obtaining more stable patronage than poets and painters. Our goal is to establish the status of jesters between subalternity and disability, applying the methodologies of historical anthropology, social history, and art history.
Announcement
The conference will take place on 18-20 November 2024, in conjunction with the exhibition Figures du Fou (autumn 2024 - early 2025) at the Musée du Louvre.
Argument
The jester is a paradoxical figure: a subordinate included in elite social circles. Thus, he is an outsider, albeit a remarkably proficient one. Jesters, comprising fools, dwarfs, and other “monsters” – both men and women, often with disabilities – are itinerant, travelling from one court to another or from the precursors of psychiatric hospitals to the realms of royalty.
Examining the jesters’ craft - as virtuosos and outsiders - provides an innovative perspective on European cultural legacy. Jesters leave behind traces due to their social position. These traces primarily involve images and texts, especially in the theatre, since jesters were experts in performance. Their artistic skills warrant analysis because they performed daily for their masters and authored letters, poems, and burlesque chronicles of their era, such as Francesillo de Zúñiga’s account of Charles V.
The exclusion of jesters from our conception of art history is not purely discriminatory, but rather a result of their exclusion from fine arts. Liberal artists and jesters rivalled for supremacy in jokes and poetry, particularly in humorous literature. Prior to the rehabilitation of Shakespearean jesters during the Romantic era, as evidenced by Jean Starobinsky in his Portrait de l’artiste en saltimbanque (1970), the modern period established its aesthetic standards around the exclusion of jesters (kingdom of France) or, at least, a principle of distinction, as exemplified by Velazquez’s gallery of non-illustrious men in his jester portraits. Instead of pathologising or mocking these unique individuals, we approach jesters, dwarves, and fools more inclusively as paradoxical court artists.
The conference aims to scrutinise the competition between artists and jesters, with the latter frequently obtaining more stable patronage than poets and painters. Our goal is to establish the status of jesters between subalternity and disability, applying the methodologies of historical anthropology, social history, and art history. We intend to delve into the careers of jesters, analyse the ‘monstrous’ aesthetics associated with these figures, and highlight their significance as anti-models for poets and artists. The distinction between jesters described as natural fools and those who feigned foolishness will be questioned. Similarly, the depiction of jesters in canonical artists’ works, through texts, images, and performances, will also be studied. This will result in an examination of the correlation between artistic ability, social standing, and disability in Europe, from the 16th to 18th centuries.
Submission guidelines
Presentations, in either French or English, will last 30 minutes. Please send proposals to hector.ruiz-soto@cnrs.fr
by 1 April 2024
Proposals must not exceed 200 words and should be accompanied with a short bio-bibliographical presentation, in either French or English. Travel and subsistence expenses for speakers will be covered.
Scientific committee
- Elisabeth Antoine-König, General Curator, Department of Works of Art, Musée du Louvre
- Florence d’Artois, MCF HDR, junior member of the IUF, Sorbonne University
- Philippe Cordez, HDR, Assistant to the Director of Museum Studies and Research Support, Head of Research Support, Centre Dominique-Vivant Denon, Musée du Louvre.
- Pierre-Yves Le Pogam, General Curator, Department of Sculpture, Musée du Louvre
- Hector Ruiz Soto, post-doctoral researcher, CNRS / UMR Héritages (9022)
- Cécile Vincent-Cassy, University Professor, Deputy Director of the UMR Héritages (9022), CY Cergy Paris Université
Subjects
- Early modern (Main category)
- Mind and language > Representation > Cultural history
- Periods > Early modern > Sixteenth century
- Mind and language > Representation > History of art
- Periods > Early modern > Seventeenth century
- Mind and language > Representation > Heritage
- Periods > Early modern > Eighteenth century
- Zones and regions > Europe
Places
- Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art - 2 rue Vivienne
Paris, France (75002) - Médiathèque du Patrimoine et de la Photographie - 11 rue du Séminaire de Conflans
Charenton-le-Pont, France (94)
Event attendance modalities
Full on-site event
Date(s)
- Monday, April 01, 2024
Attached files
Keywords
- bouffon, nain, fou, performance, artiste de cour
Contact(s)
- Hector Ruiz Soto
courriel : hector [dot] ruiz-soto [at] cnrs [dot] fr
Information source
- Hector Ruiz Soto
courriel : hector [dot] ruiz-soto [at] cnrs [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Faire le fou. L’art des bouffons dans l’Europe moderne », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, https://doi.org/10.58079/vpo2
