Philippe de Champaigne
(1602 - 1674) |
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Portraiture, Secular Commissions, Landscapes Art Work
| Name: |
Philippe de Champaigne |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Place of Birth: |
Brussels |
| Nationality: |
Belgian |
| Birth: |
1602 |
| Death: |
1674 |
| Website: |
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| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
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Quick Facts
| Known For: |
Portraiture, Secular Commissions, Landscapes |
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| Style: |
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| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Painter
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Biography
| Philippe de Champaigne was Considered the most successful painter active in Paris during the midseventeenth century. The artist found patronage from Cardinal Richelieu, the church, the magistracy of Paris, and the intellectual classes. A founding member of the Academy in 1648, Philippe brought together many tendencies in his art. A clear and dispassionate observation of nature, an austere sense of beauty and monumentality, and a deeply felt religious intensity. Champaigne's singular vision did not find many imitators in Paris despite his popularity among patrons. Born in Brusells. Duchesne oversaw Champaigne and Poussin's collaboration on the decorations for the Luxembourg Palace of Marie de Medici. In 1627 Champaigne traveled to Brussels. However, he returned to Paris in 1628 to marry and to take over Duchesne's position as painter to the Queen Mother. For her he began a series of paintings for the convent of the Carmelites. In 1629 he became a French citizen. Around this time he produced a portrait of Louis XIII Paris, Louvre depicting the defeat of La Rochelle and the rebellious Protestants in the background. He continued to produce important official and commemorative images for the king over the years. Around 1634 Champaigne came to the attention of Cardinal Richelieu, who awarded him numerous commissions. For Richelieu, Champaigne produced decorations for a gallery at the Palais Royal, executed portraits of famous men for another gallery, frescoed a dome of the Sorbonne, and painted Richelieu's portrait a number of times. The most celebrated of these are the triple portrait in London done as a model for Bernini's bust produced in Rome,and the full-length portrait, also in London. Both works are paradigms of sober and sparing, though detailed, description which has been penetratingly observed yet discreetly presented. His talents as a portrai painter were in considerable demand among French high society between 1640 and 1660. In the 1640s Champaigne, always a devout man, came into contact with the Jansenists, who practiced a particularly austere form of Catholicism. This involvement became a force which shaped his later, more sober style. He also produced some of his most celebrated works for them. In 1648 Champaigne helped to found the French Academy, where he propounded the value of draftsmanship over color. Of his religious works produced in the late 1640s and 1650s, the series of works illustrating the lives of St. Protasius and St. Gervasius 1660-1661, Paris, Louvre, and Lyon, Musee des Beaux Arts is one of the most important. In 1660 Champaigne's daughter, a nun at the Jansenist convent of Port Royal, was crippled by paralysis and by the end of the following year she was bedridden. The prioress instituted prayers for a cure and in 1662 was successful. In thanks, Champaigne painted what is considered his masterpiece of devotional art an ex voto, now in the Louvre. Stirring in its simplicity and compelling in its dignity, this painting has been ranked with George de La Tour's efforts for the depth of its spirituality. Champaigne's early training as a landscape painter found expression again late in his career. One series, illustrating the lives of hermit saints, was originally produced for the apartments of Anne of Austria in the Val de GrSce. These are now in Paris, Tours, and Mainz. Other landscapes with biblical subjects are noted in the inventory of Champaigne's estate, indicating that the artist produced a number of additional landscapes late in life. A particularly lovely example, which shows his Flemish orientation, is in the University of Michigan Museum of Art at Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, Champaigne's still lifes are known only through engravings. |
Samples of Work
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