Charles Le Brun

Charles Le Brun is one of the most powerful French artists. The painter, sculptor, architect and ornamental artist was the spiritual father and the driving force behind the style epoch we now call Louis XIV. The enormous breadth of his creative output - he was not only a painter and sculptor, but also an interior decorator, plasterer and designer of carpets, wallpapers and tapestries - enabled him to leave his mark on the entire art of this epoch. His style left its mark on subsequent generations of courtly artists and served as a reference and idealized counterpart to the exuberant Rococo until well into the 18th century.

Le Brun's career began early, at the age of 13, when a drawing of Louis III on horseback made by him caught the attention of the then chancellor Ségnier. Afterwards, the talent of the young stonemason's apprentice was systematically encouraged. Born in Paris in 1619, Le Bruns was already court painter in 1638 and received his first commissions from Cardinal Richelieu. His courtly patrons enabled the artist to spend time in Italy, where he perfected his training and studied in Rome with Nicolas Poussin, among others. During this time he also devoted himself to the works of Carracci, Raffael and Renis, which strongly influenced his later work. For example, one of Le Brun's most famous works, Einzug Alexanders in Babylon, which can be seen today in the Louvre.