The idea for this exhibition and the catalouge at the Residenzgalerie Salzburg originated with the first publication listing all the French paintings in Austria's public collections and monasteries. For this special presentation, an exclusive selection was made from the wealth of over 250 works, with the focus on artists whose paintings convey the attractions of southern landscapes and the flair of the south.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Italy became a popular destination for scholars, wealthy townspeople, young aristocrats, and French artists who valued the climate and appreciated the picturesque landscapes and the ancient, Renaissance and Baroque art and architecture. Affluent patrons and the "Académie de France" (founded in Rome in 1666), which awarded scholarships yearly, provided the funds and expertise required for the training of these young artists, who, in return, had to copy Italian paintings and sculptures and send them to Paris for students to study.
As a rule, the artists spent several years in Italy, visiting Rome and the newly excavated ancient cities of Herculaneum (1738) and Pompeii (1748), and travelling to Naples, Florence, Bologna or Venice. Some areas were hardly visited at all. Bad roads, lack of infrastructure and fear of the local population reduced to a select few the number of travellers venturing beyond Naples to Apulia, Calabria or Sicily.
The itinerary for the Italian tour in the 17th and 18th centuries was practically standard for French artists as well. The French usually chose Mont Cenis for crossing the Alps into Italy. Depending on the season and the planned length of stay, they travelled either to Milan and on to Venice, to continue via Bologna, Rimini and Loreto to Rome, or along the coast from Genoa to Pisa, then on to Florence, in the interior of the country, and thence to the Eternal City, where they spent the greater part of their time in Italy.
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