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Some historians have argued that LeBrun was a despot who
used his power to exert artistic tyranny over the
seventeenth century. This is an absurd claim with no factual
documentation. It is worth pointing out that during the year
that Colbert died, the new Minister Louvois tried to attack
LeBrun at the Royal Academy, thinking that given the choice
between a painter and the all-powerfull Minister, the
members of the Academy would choose the Minister. LeBrun
gave up his functions of Chancellor and Rector of the
Academy. In reality, he was aware of the hostility
threatening him and hoped to obtain a new mandate throug re-election.
This tactic was so successfull that his colleagues gave him
the new title of Director in addition to being re-elected to
the positions of Chancellor and Rector. This humiliated
Louvois before the entire Academy and served to fuel his
animosity.
His
colleagues and workers at Gobelins also showed great respect
for their Master. Celebrations were held every year in
honour of the First Painter; the Mai des Gobelins
became a testimony of the esteem and allegiance shown to
LeBrun by all the community that he governed.
After LeBrun's death,
Louvois, Colbert's successor, greatly undermined the
painter's posthumous popularity, He issued an order to affix
seals to all of the painter's works and drawings, under the
pretext that all of the First Painter's work should be
dedicated to the King alone. A great number of LeBrun's masterpieces were seized and placed in vaults of the Louvre,
and for centuries, were not accessible to the public. As a result, virtually none of
LeBrun's works can be found anywere in the world outside
France, but this in no way diminishes the artist's greatness.
The King had declared him '' the greatest French artist
of all time ''.
The
artist's popularity was not restricted to France or Italy.
Distinguished ambassadors who came from all points of the
globe to the court of Louis XIV visited LeBrun's artworks.
Nivelon...(LeBrun's student )...,tells of how '' the
famous ambassador from Moscow, renonowed for his high rank
and his valour, embraced Monsieur LeBrun and told him how
proud he felt for France for having a such man. The
Ethiopian ambassador asked Monsieur LeBrun in his vivid
language if the marvelous creations he saw there were
not the work of supernatural artisans and if their
master was not endowed with genius from some higher source''.
Officials from Algeria, Morocco and Siam visiting France
demonstrated the same kind of admiration for the First
Painter.
LeBrun was above all the French artist to achieve success
abroad, and worldwide prestige enjoyed by French art for
nearly two centuries had its origin in his era.
A recent study showed that the world's most visited work of
art by an Old Master Painter is La Joconde by
Leonardo Da Vinci. The second is the Hall Of Mirrors
at Versailles, created by Le Brun. |
