Vouet

Simon Vouet was born in Paris on January 9, 1590, into a family of painters, initiated very early into art by his father Laurent Vouet. After precocious travels to England around 1604-1606 and to Constantinople with the French ambassador, where he painted the portrait of Sultan Mustafa I in 1611-1612, he embarked on a long stay in Italy from 1612 to 1627. Established primarily in Rome, he absorbed Caravaggism and Italian Baroque, achieving considerable success to the point of being elected Prince of the Academy of Saint Luke in 1624 and receiving a commission for Saint Peter’s Basilica. Recalled to France in 1627, he was appointed First Painter to King Louis XIII and introduced the Italian Baroque style to the kingdom, dominating the French artistic scene until his death. Overwhelmed with royal and princely commissions, notably for the Louvre, the Luxembourg Palace, and Richelieu’s Palais-Royal, he created an important workshop where the greatest painters of the following generation would be trained, including Charles Le Brun and Eustache Le Sueur. He died in Paris on June 30, 1649, leaving behind a body of work that characterizes the French Baroque aesthetic with its ample compositions, theatrical perspectives, and brilliant colors.

Artworks

Simon Vouet, Venus and Adonis, circa 1642

Simon Vouet: Venus and Adonis

Venus and Adonis (circa 1642) perfectly illustrates the decorative French art of the Grand Siècle, a refined synthesis of mythological

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