Art Appreciation
Charles Le Brun was born in Paris on February 24, 1619, into a modest family; his father was a sculptor, which exposed him early to the arts. Le Brun showed precocious talent and trained under François Perrier, absorbing classical principles through the study of antiquity.
A pivotal moment came with his patronage by Chancellor Pierre Séguier, which enabled Le Brun to travel to Rome in the 1640s. There, he studied Raphael, Annibale Carracci, and ancient sculpture, forming a rigorous classical foundation that would define his approach.
Le Brun's career accelerated after his return to France. He became a founding member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1648 and later its director, shaping academic standards for generations.
His close alliance with Jean-Baptiste Colbert and Louis XIV elevated him to First Painter to the King. In this role, Le Brun oversaw vast decorative programs for royal residences, most famously at Versailles, where he coordinated painters, sculptors, and craftsmen to create a unified visual language that projected royal authority and order.
Technically, Le Brun is known for disciplined composition, clear narrative structure, and an intellectual approach to expression. His treatise-like studies on physiognomy sought to codify emotions, influencing academic art well into the 18th century.
Among his best-known works are The Battles of Alexander, the decorative cycles of the Hall of Mirrors, and ceiling paintings at the Salon de la Guerre. Together these works established a model of French classicism that balanced drama with control.
Sources:
Wikipedia
https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/great-characters/charles-brun
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Le-Brun
https://presse.louvre.fr/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/934987.pdf
https://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/l/le_brun/index.html
No comments:
Post a Comment