Curatorial Narrative The enigmatic Andre Hercules de Fleury by Francois Chereau the elder is an exemplar of Baroque architecture transposed onto canvas. Painted in the grand manner, it embodies the style’s penchant for spatial drama and luminous monumentality. Chereau’s employment of linear brushwork imbues the scene with a sense of urgency, as if the architectural details were unfolding before our very eyes. The monochromatic palette, dominated by sepia tones, lends an air of antiquity to the composition, underscoring its Classicist underpinnings while simultaneously evoking an atmosphere of hushed reverence.At scale, Chereau’s masterful manipulation of chromatic structure and atmospheric weight takes on new dimensions. The 44×57 inch rendition reveals a spatial rhythm that is at once stately and expansive. The sepia tones deepen, casting long shadows across the architectural facades while imbuing them with an otherworldly luminosi