Charles Le Brun

Charles Le Brun (also Lebrun LeBrun or written ) (* February 24, 1619 in Paris, † February 12, 1690 Paris) was a French painter, architect, ornament artist, court painter ( 1662), director of the Gobelins tapestry factory and rector and chancellor of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture. He led the work to equip the castles of Vaux- le -Vicomte and Versailles, and was one of the most important and influential artists of the style Louis XIV.

Life

Le Brun was born into a family of sculptors, which was probably of Scottish origin. His father Nicolas Le Brun (d. 1648) taught his son the basics of sculpture and drawing. Charles, like his brothers Nicolas (1615-1660) and Gabriel (1625-1660), however, did not turn his father's profession, but of painting, in which he showed some talent.

As of 1632, international studies, first appointments

A pen and ink drawing of the 13- year-old, the Louis XIII. performing on horseback, (also Séguier partially ) made ​​the Chancellor Ségnier attention to Le Brun. Ségnier recognized the talent of the boy, took him to live with him and meted him an education. Here, Le Brun studied painting at 1632 Francois Perrier, called the Burgundians, and 1634/1637 by Simon Vouet, in which he trained primarily at the antique collection and the collection of Italian masters in Palace of Fontainebleau.

Already in 1638 he was Peintre du Roi ("royal painter" ) and received the first orders of Cardinal Richelieu, who was very impressed by the works of the young artist.

His patron Ségnier allowed Le Brun in 1642 to go to Rome to study at Poussin, who received him very kindly. In addition, Le Brun received from Ségnier a pension of 200 ecus. In Rome, he drew especially after the ancient sculptures, but also devoted himself to the works of Carracci, Guido Reni and Raphael, who had a strong influence on Lebrun's later work. When he returned in 1646 to France, he was there long famous for his skillful work in the home and was so in the aftermath manifold contracts for the design of private houses such as the Hotel Lambert in Paris but also for altar and other church paintings.

In 1647 he married the daughter of the court painter Butay.

As of 1648, at the Royal Academy

In 1648 he was co-founder of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture, where he remained a lifelong. As of 1657, Nicolas Fouquet, surintendant des Finances his patron and endowed him with a pension of 12,000 livres. Le Brun was director of Fouquet'schen tapestry manufactory in Maincy and started from 1658 with the decoration of Fouquet's Vaux -le- Vicomte, which it introduced her to Louis Le Vau and André Le Nôtre. Jules Mazarin led him in 1660 at the court, whereupon he represents for the king with the execution of the Alexander cycle, a series of paintings, the Stations of the life of Alexander the Great, began and for the queen - mother, Anna created a painting for their prayer room.

With the violent overthrow Fouquet by the king in 1661, the artist trio of Vaux- le -Vicomte moved closed over in the service of the Crown and realized together for these many projects. In Colbert Le Brun found now a new patron who helped him to an almost meteoric rise: 1662 Le Brun was raised to the peerage and Premier Peintre du Roi, the highest official painter Office, appointed. A year later, in 1663, he was appointed Garde général of the royal collections relies ( as general manager ) and received at the instigation of Colbert, the Directorate of the Manufacture Royale des Tapisseries et Meubles de la Couronne ( The state art workshops and manufacturers, " the next tapestries and furniture also various other art objects produced ) for which he made numerous designs and their execution he then monitored. 1666 he founded the branch of the Academy in Rome, in 1668 he became rector and chancellor of the Academy. 1677 he accompanied the king on the Flanders campaign ( against Spanish possessions ).

Meanwhile performed numerous works in castles, so the decoration of the Apollo Gallery ( from 1661), the Hall of Mirrors ( 1679 ) and the Great Ambassador's Staircase ( Grand Escalier des Ambassadeurs, 1674/1678 ) in Versailles, the decoration of Schloss Marly ( 1683/1686 ) and the decoration of Colbert Sceaux Castle ( 1670/1674 ).

From 1683, after the death of Colbert

Le Brun was at the height of his career, the undisputed Art Patron - some already said Art despot - as Colbert on September 6, 1683 died. The death of his patron, prepared the rise of the artist an abrupt termination: Although he has not been dropped from the king, but the royal favor turned now, mainly at the instigation of Louvois, the successor to Colbert, Mignard to, which was sponsored by Louvois.

Le Brun died just einundsiebzigjährig in Paris.

Importance

Few other artists had an art style as strongly as Le Brun 's style Louis XIV Above all, the great width of his work includes paintings and interior decoration along with numerous designs for tapestries such as Aubusson and for other Zierornamentik, enabled him to this far-reaching influence. Le Brun, who was trained at the Italian masters, leaving behind a work that was always an example for the following generations of French courtly art in its stringency and solemn dignity. Especially with the increasing playfulness of the decoration in the 18th century, the art debate of the time remembered back to the Grand siècle ( the "Great Century" under Louis XIV ), whose art production as the idealized "true French art " and we must strive to counterpart was conceived to " Ornamentenschwulst ".

Works

• Handbook of Seelenmahlerei: for -profit use, especially for artist, Mahler and lovers of characteristic and allegorical; together with 52 engraved in copper heads principal emotions and passions concerning. Kleefeld, Leipzig 1802 ( Digitized edition of the University and State Library Dusseldorf )