1593-1648 French Louis Le Nain Gallery French family of painters. Antoine Le Nain (b Laon, c. 1600; bur Paris, 26 May 1648) and his brothers Louis Le Nain (b Laon, c. 1600; bur Paris, 24 May 1648) and Mathieu Le Nain (b Laon, c. 1607; bur Paris, 26 April 1677) lived together and shared a studio in Paris. Since the studio was headed by Antoine, he is assumed to have been older than Louis. The brothers reputation rests on a number of paintings signed Le Nain, on the basis of which other paintings (but no drawings) have also been attributed to them. None of the signed paintings bears a Christian name, and there is no secure way of attributing works to the individual brothers, although many attempts have been made. Eighteenth-century sale catalogues, fearful of anonymity, effectively chose from the three names at random. Since the writings of Witt (1910) and Jamot (1922) in particular, it has been habitual to ascribe small paintings on copper to Antoine, and austere, larger peasant scenes to Louis. This division of hands will be found in almost all the subsequent literature on the artists, although it must be stressed that there is no evidence at all to support it. Great efforts have also been made to identify works by Mathieu, since he survived his brothers by nearly 30 years and presumably continued to paint after their deaths in 1648. However, no such activity after 1648 is securely documented, and none of the surviving works bears a date later than 1647; and the arguments for a separate Mathieu oeuvre, though cogent, should not be regarded as conclusive. The outstanding feature of the work of the Le Nain brothers, and the basis of their celebrity since the mid-19th century, is the artists treatment of the poor.  Related Paintings of Louis Le Nain :. | Visit to Grandmother | The Peasant Family | The Milkwoman-s Family | Landscape with Peasants | The Guard Romm (mk05) |
Related Artists:
Francesco Traini
Italian Byzantine Style Painter, active 1321-1363
BRUEGHEL, Ambrosius
Flemish painter (b. 1617, Antwerpen, d. 1675, Antwerpen). Ambrosius Brueghel (Antwerp, 1617??9 February 1675) was a Flemish Baroque painter who specialized in landscapes and flower paintings. His work is similar to that of his half-brother, Jan Brueghel the Younger, and his nephew, Abraham Brueghel.[1] He was primarily active Antwerp, probably travelled to Italy around 1639, and was dean of Antwerp's Guild of St. Luke from 1653 to 1671.
Jan Van Den Hoecke
Flemish Baroque Era Painter, 1611-1651 was a Flemish Baroque painter and draughtsman. He was born and died in Antwerp. He first apprenticed with his father, the painter Gaspar van den Hoecke (1595?C1648); then worked in the studio of Peter Paul Rubens. Jan's brother Robert van den Hoecke (1622?C1668) was also a painter. The artist and his father were well known for their 1635 execution of decorations for the Arch dedicated to the Emperor Ferdinand III in Antwerp. In this collaboration, Jan painted monumental representations, as seen in his piece, Triumphal Entrance of Cardinal Prince Ferdinand of Spain, (Uffizi Gallery). Hoecke then traveled to Austria under the commission of the Emperor Ferdinand III after 1637, staying for about ten years. He also painted for Ferdinand's brother, Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (1614-C1662), including a Madonna and Child and a number of allegorical pieces. Before this he traveled to Italy and worked in Rome, which may have influenced his style some. Another piece by Hoecke is his, Hercules between Vice and Virtue, (Uffizi Gallery), which shows an influence from both Rubens, and another pupil of the master Baroque painter, Anthony van Dyck.