CANVASES, CARATS AND CURIOSITIES

First, the highly selective jury required artists to showcase their mastery of academic art training, which centered around mastering human anatomy and linear perspective through excellent draughtsmanship. Secondly, the jury prioritized history painting, or works with subject matter that depicted a narrative moment from classical history and mythology or the Bible. These works, which were most often done in large-scale pieces, were meant to instill moral virtues and cultural ideals in viewers.

In the Paris Salon, history paintings, seen as the most intellectually demanding and worthy of admiration, would have been placed at the pride of place: centered and eye-level for maximum attention. Next came portraiture, which was seen as less intellectually rigorous, though still prestigious, especially based on sitters’ status. These would have hung alongside or just below history paintings. Next were landscapes. Genre scenes— depictions of everyday life— followed suit in the hierarchy, as they still required technical skill but did not carry as much moral weight as history painting.

In the lowest hierarchical position was still life. These were often hung lowest on the walls or higher up, near the ceiling, in what became known as the “skied” position. This placement made them the hardest to see, reinforcing their lowest status in the Academy’s rigid hierarchy.

The sheer amount of works exhibited in the Salon led to the crowded, floor-to-ceiling arrangement known as the “Salon-style hang.” The overwhelming hanging arrangement became a defining feature of the exhibition, even featuring as a subject for artworks, such as Pietro Antonio Martini’s etching View of the Salon of 1785.

In 1737, the Paris Salon first opened to the public, marking a major shift in how art was experienced in France. Previously, only Academy members, patrons and the royal court attended the exclusive exhibition. However, as the need to promote French artistic achievement expanded, the Royal Academy saw an opportunity to transform the Salon into a cultural spectacle by allowing the general public to attend.

Public access democratized art appreciation, allowing people from all socioeconomic levels to engage with the latest artistic trends. It also gave rise to art criticism, as writers and intellectuals began publishing reviews of exhibited works, shaping public opinion on what was deemed successful or controversial. Over time, this shift contributed to the Salon’s growing influence, making it the most important and widely anticipated exhibition in Europe.

After the Revolution: Changes in the Salon

The French Revolution (1789-1799) not only dismantled the French monarchy but also the monarchy’s control over the arts, leading to significant changes in the Paris Salon. With the fall of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, the strict hierarchy and elitist favoring of Academy members were challenged, paving the way for a more inclusive exhibition system.

By 1795, the Salon was opened to all artists, regardless of Academy membership, including foreign artists. The rigid genre hierarchy weakened slightly, allowing the lesser genres to gain greater recognition. Moreover, the jury’s influence was diminished, and works that challenged the status quo of French classical society were able to find their way into the Salon more easily, though still an uphill battle. Anne-Louis Girodet’s portrait of Jean-Baptiste Belley, a black, formerly-enslaved Haitian revolutionary who appeared at the National Convention as a deputy, was exhibited in the 1798 Salon. This non-traditional painting exemplified the changing tide in the Salon's subject matter— though with that said, the jury still favored conservative-leaning themes.

While the Revolution initially introduced some greater artistic freedom, state control over the Salon remained. Under Napoleon the Great’s rule, the exhibition was a powerful tool for showcasing propagandistic artworks that glorified his reign and military victories. Even into the 19th century, despite its newfound accessibility, the Salon continued to serve political and ideological interests.

Splintering in the Salon

At the beginning and middle of the 19th century, academic art continued to completely monopolize the Salon, with artists such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau dominating with his realistic genre paintings that melded mythological themes with modern compositions. In fact, at the height of his power, the Salon received the nickname “Salon de Bouguereau” due to his dominance.

The annual Salon was the artistic event of the year, with artists vying for the chance to prove their artistic worth and climb the ranks. As many as 500,00 people would visit the exhibition from open to close.

In 1848, France experienced yet another revolution, which overthrew the Bourbon monarchy and established the French Second Republic. None other than Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, also known as Napoleon III, was elected as the new President. Only three years later, Napoleon III overthrew the republic in a coup d’êtat and named himself France’ emperor.

When Napoleon III took over the country, he made radical changes to the Salon’s application system. Prior to his rule, the majority of artists who submitted works to the Salon were rejected. For example, only 65 pieces were shown in the 1851 Paris Salon. However, Napoleon III, in his attempt to modernize and increase France’s cultural impact, liberalized the Academy further. The number of rejected works reduced significantly, as seen in the astounding 426 pieces shown in the 1860 Salon.

Moreover, the Paris Salon began introducing awards in 1849, which further increased the Salon’s impact in making an artist’s career. Naturalist painter Jules Breton owed much of his commercial success to the award he won for his Blessing of the Wheat in the Artois painting at the Salon of 1857. Although recognition of landscape and still-life painting increased in the Salon’s early modernizing, the continued conservative nature of the Salon is what ultimately led to its downfall.

In 1863, controversy erupted when the Salon refused two-thirds of the paintings submitted, including by artists who had previously exhibited at the Salon. Amidst the Haussmannization of Paris begun by Napoleon III, the conservative jury wished to express their discontent with some artists’ innovations in painting techniques, namely painting en plein air. Genre paintings with disregard for mythological or religious themes and paintings with expressive brushwork were turned away. While the Salon thought they were protecting the public from “distasteful” displays, artists were enraged by the censorship.

To rectify the marred public opinion of the Salon, Napoleon III established the Salon des Refusés (Exhibition of the Refused) the same year. In this salon, rejected works were displayed, including the works of Gustave Courbet, Camille Pissarro and James McNeill Whistler.

The showing was so popular that more than a thousand visitors a day were reported to visit the Salon des Refusés. While many critics went only to ridicule the works that undercut the traditional status quo of French painting, the Salon’s very existence and popularity also legitimized the public’s growing taste for avant-garde art movements. By offering a platform for artists whose innovative approaches had been sidelined, the Salon des Refusés emboldened an up-and-coming group of artists to showcase their work independently: the Impressionists.

Comprised of artists like Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas and Claude Monet, the Impressionists— who practiced the plein-air approach to depict scenes of everyday modern life and painted with thicker paints and more free-ranging brushstrokes— knew their work had slim chances of being accepted to the Salon. While a few Impressionists, such as Renoir, did manage to secure acceptance within the traditional Salon framework by tempering their avant-garde tendencies, many others found that their innovative commitment to their craft left them perennially at odds with the conservative jury, as was the case for Paul Cézanne.

It is for these reasons that the group of artists who came to be known as the Impressionists opened their first independent exhibition in 1874, two weeks before the traditional Salon. In doing so, they affirmed that their exhibition was different than the Salon des Refusés.

That first Impressionist show only received 3,500 visitors but the cultural legacy of the exhibition was massive, with its many critic reviews in magazines and a major influence on younger artists and art movements. The fact these artists organized an independent, self-organized show not only celebrated their radical departures from convention but also symbolized a broader rejection of the established artistic hierarchy.

This movement was intimately linked to Napoleon III’s trajectory. His earlier intervention with the Salon des Refusés was an attempt to placate public demand for fresh artistic expression, yet it inadvertently undermined the very taste-making authority he once wielded. As his political fortunes waned and his influence faded, the fall of Napoleon III paralleled the rise of a new artistic order—a modern, democratic vision of art that celebrated spontaneity and individual perception over rigid academic standards.

The Fall of the Paris Salon and the Dawn of a New Artistic Era

With the rise of Impressionism’s public favor and their continuing biannual independent exhibitions, the breakdown of the Salon’s dominance was paralleled by a broader cultural shift. In 1881, the government withdrew official sponsorship of the Salon. The new organization that took it over, the Société des Artistes Français, continued the Salons, though they fell in cultural prominence.

Independent exhibitions and alternative galleries emerged, most notably through initiatives like the Société des Artistes Indépendants, who organized massive exhibitions in Paris beginning in 1884. Their motto, “sans jury ni récompense” (“without jury nor reward“), reflected their commitment to championing artists, such as Henri Matisse, whose artistic experimentation met no institutional constraints. In this new environment, artists celebrated individuality and spontaneity, two values once suppressed by the conservative jury.

Among those who navigated these turbulent transitions was John Singer Sargent. Initially steeped in the traditions of classical portraiture and even exhibiting within the confines of the Salon, such as his highly controversial painting Madame X exhibited in the 1884 Salon, Sargent’s evolving style eventually epitomized the bridge between academic mastery and modern sensibility. His work, marked by a brilliant fusion of technical precision and fluid, almost impressionistic approach to light and texture, came to symbolize the broader movement away from the rigid hierarchies of the past while honoring the academic art movement.

In essence, the ultimate fall from favor of the Paris Salon was not merely the end of an institution but the beginning of a more dynamic, inclusive art world—one that embraced both the legacy of tradition and the promise of innovation.

The Salon-Style Hang: A Bold Approach to Displaying Art

The Paris Salon, with its strict hierarchy and traditionalist values, was also especially known for inspiring a vibrant and electric style of hanging. Salon-style hanging is not about linear rows or singular focal points, as one may see in a contemporary art gallery; it is a dynamic layering of works that creates a vibrant narrative on the wall. Funnily enough, the salon-style hang somewhat echoes the rebellious spirit of the Impressionists as it breaks free from the pressures of symmetry and linear perspective.

As Modernism took hold, with its white walls and minimalist approach to hanging, curators occasionally embraced the Salon’s playful layout to challenge traditional display norms. For spaces hoping to spark conversation and invite exploration with a roving eye, the salon-style hang may be a curator’s dream come true. The Barnes Museum in Philadelphia is a stellar example of this. There, the art is arranged in clusters that allow each piece to shine both on its own and as part of a broader, interwoven story. Even though it is an art museum, the layout makes viewers feel more like they are simply stepping into one’s homes rather than surrounded by priceless paintings.

From the Louvre to Your Living Room

Today, whether you are drawn to the preciseness of academic art’s history paintings, the soft, blurred edges of Impressionism, or Modernism’s sharp lines, a Salon-style hang offers a chance to create a gallery wall aesthetic that is uniquely you. If you are curious about transforming one of your spaces into a historically inspired Salon, here are some useful tips to consider.

• Assess your space: Measure your wall’s height and width. Consider architectural features like crown molding that can influence layout and spacing. If you do have crown molding, consider hanging your art directly from the molding. Using specialized hardware such as picture rail hooks or a clear system for heavier pieces, hanging from crown molding can attain a unique Victorian-inspired layout.
• Curate your collection: The beauty of a salon-style hang is that you can incorporate all sorts of elements that speak to your personal style. You can mix all different art forms, balance traditional works with modern pieces, or even incorporate a curio cabinet to showcase your trinket collections.
• Plan the layout: Before putting anything on the wall, start by selecting a large, eye-catching centerpiece to anchor your display. Using paper templates or tape, experiment with different hanging arrangements before committing to any nails or hooks. This is the perfect time to play with the spacing between pieces.
• Decorate the wall: Begin with your central focal piece and work outward. If you want more of a layered look, hang larger items first, then fill in empty spaces with smaller works. Incorporate lighting in your decorative display. Accent lighting on individual pieces can be a great way to highlight your favorite works. Don’t be afraid to be creative!

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