Louis-Michel van Loo

Louis -Michel van Loo (* March 2, 1707 in Toulon, † March 20, 1771 in Paris) was a French portrait painter of the Rococo.

Life

Louis -Michel van Loo was the son of the painter Jean -Baptiste van Loo, with whom he studied in Turin and Rome. He also visited the Royal French Academy of Fine Arts in Paris, where he in 1726 won the first prize in painting. In 1728 he went with his uncle Charles -André van Loo back to Rome, accompanied by his brother Francois. There he met François Boucher know. In 1732 he went above Turin, where he painted portraits of the ducal family ( Duke and Duchess of Savoy), returned to Paris. In Paris, he was elected to the French Academy of Arts, where he was an assistant teacher in 1735. In 1737 he became court painter to King Philip V in Madrid as the successor of Jean Ranc. The king had asked Hyacinthe Rigaud proposals for the succession, and this van Loo had recommended. He was also active as a teacher and was in 1752 one of the founding members of the Academy of Arts (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando ). In 1753 he went to Paris, where he also worked for the court and many portraits of Louis XV. painted. In 1765 he was the successor of his uncle Charles -André as director of the École Royale des Élèves protégé of the French Academy of Arts.

The portrayed by him include the Marquis de Pombal, the Marquis de Sade and Denis Diderot.

Even his brothers François van Loo (1708-1732) and Charles- Amédée -Philippe van Loo (1719-1795) were painters.