Eustache Le Sueur (1616 - 1655)

Le Sueur’s well-balanced classical compositions, carefully elaborated and slightly cool in colouration, delighted his contemporaries, secured him a good income and earned him high esteem until well into the 19th century. The 20th century dubbed it “appealing” and “charming”, before his oeuvre was re-explored, over the past thirty years, and his skills once more put into proper perspective. The painter spent his entire life in Paris, which distinguished him from his famous colleagues who went to study in Italy, especially Rome. Le Sueur encountered antique and Italian works in the royal collections. Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665) and Raphael (1483–1520) were his models, and Simon Vouet (1590–1649), an early influence on classical painting in France, was his teacher from 1630/32. In 1648 he was one of the founding members of the "Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture".

Author: Habersatter Thomas

Literature: DUCKE Astrid, HABERSATTER Thomas, OEHRING Erika: Masterworks. Residenzgalerie Salzburg. Salzburg 2015, S. 126