25 Works, July 21st. is Jean-Baptiste Greuze’s day, his story, illustrated with footnotes #198
Filial Piety (The Paralytic), c. 1763
Oil on canvas
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg
Denis Diderot was an unofficial art adviser to Catherine the Great of Russia. It was no coincidence when the painting he praised was purchased directly from the artist by Catherine’s agents and shipped to Saint Petersburg, where it remains. This peculiar mid-18th century French painting-genre of the “edifying family tableau” was exactly suited to Diderot’s taste for secularized moral uplift. More on this painting
In more general terms, filial piety means to be good to one’s parents; to take care of one’s parents; to engage in good conduct, not just towards parents but also outside the home so as to bring a good name to one’s parents and ancestors; to show love, respect, and support; to display courtesy; to ensure male heirs; to uphold fraternity among brothers; to wisely advise one’s parents, including dissuading them from moral unrighteousness; to display sorrow for their sickness and death; and to bury them and carry out sacrifices after their death. More on Filial Piety
Jean-Baptiste Greuze (21 August 1725–4 March 1805) was a French painter of portraits, genre scenes, and history painting…