Louis-Gabriel Moreau (1740 – 12 October 1806) was a French

graphic artist A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, p ...

and landscape

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

. He is frequently identified as "Moreau the elder" (''"Moreau l’Aîné"'') in order to avoid confusion with his precocious younger brother, the artist Jean-Michel Moreau (1741–1814) who is sometimes identified as "Moreau the younger" (''"Moreau le Jeune"'').

Life

Moreau was born in Paris. He was a pupil of Pierre-Antoine Demachy. Like Demachy, Moreau would focus on paintings of buildings and the countryside in and around Paris. He painted generally in gouache. Moreau's work was first exhibited in 1760 at the "

Exposition de la Jeunesse Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair *Expository writing **Exposition (narrative) *Exposition (music) *Trade fair * ''Exposition'' (album), the debut album by the band Wax on Radio *Exposi ...

". He was accepted into the Académie de Saint-Luc, but failed to gain admission to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1787 and again in 1788, possibly because the academy did not share Moreau's preference for landscapes. He worked as an artist for the Count of Artois as a result of which for several years Moreau lived in the Louvre, which at the time was undergoing a protracted transition towards its subsequent status as a public museum and gallery. While living here he continued to produce romanticised images of ruins until the outbreak of the revolution. Following the outbreak of revolution the Louvre finally reopened as a public museum, formally in 1793, and Moreau continued to work there on conservation and restoration. There are those who have identified similarities between the work of Louis-Gabriel Moreau and of

Claude-Louis Châtelet Claude-Louis Châtelet, a French painter, was born in Paris in 1753. He produced Swiss views, sea-pieces, and pastoral scenes in the style of Claude Joseph Vernet, Vernet. Examples of his work are in the Orléans Museum, the Palace of Fontaineblea ...

, one of the Queen's favourite artists.

Works exhibited in public galleries (not a complete list)

* Louvre, Paris **Paintings *** ''Paysage. Cabane dans un bois'' *** ''Vue des coteaux de Bellevue prise du parc de Saint Cloud'' *** ''Vue du château de Vincennes prise des hauteurs de Montreuil'' **Drawings *** ''Intérieur d'un parc sauvage'' *** ''La Promenade'' *** ''Vue du château de Valençay, et au premier plan des promeneurs'' *** ''Vue du château de Valençay, prise des terrasses, et couple de promeneurs'' **Miniatures *** ''Le Parc de Saint-Cloud'', Paris, musée du Louvre, département des Arts graphiques *** ''Le Portique : plusieurs personnages pénétrant sous un portique'', Paris, musée du Louvre, département des Arts graphiques * Magnin Museum, Dijon *** ''L’Allée'' *** ''Paysage, effet de soir tombant'' * Fine Arts Museum, Rouen *** ''Paysage au grand fleuve''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moreau, Louis-Gabriel 18th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century French painters French draughtsmen French engravers 1740 births 1805 deaths 19th-century French male artists 18th-century French male artists