A Day at the Louvre with Van Dyck and Saint-Aubin

There are two terrific shows currently on at the Louvre, both of which deal mostly with works on paper, both of which are open until May and both of which are uncrowded.

Let's start with the older, Anthony Van Dyck, certainly known best for his individual and family portraits in full gorgeous color. Here, the Louvre is showing him as an engraver, and one sees the glory of his drawing ability in both the final black and white works and the engraved plates, a dozen or so of which are positioned below the engravings. The Louvre's collection, I learned, was acquired by Louis XIV and added to through the beneficence of the Rothschilds, bless them.

Then there's a small show of Gabriel de Saint-Aubin (1724-1780), that shows the incredible range of interest of this 18th century artist; from designer of watches to plates and vases; from painter of landscapes to harbor views; and from artist using full color to what I call the white-washed bleached-out coloration that is best shown in one of a room at the Louvre, on display during this show's run earlier this year at the Frick - which you can see on the website of the New York Observer - http://www.observer.com/2008/mus-e-du-louvre-paris-d-partement-des-arts-graphiques.