Louis Gallait (9 or 10 May 1810 – 20 November 1887) was a
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
painter. He lay at the basis of a revival of
history painting in Belgium. He earned his reputation especially with the large painting of
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
's abdication. Gallait's works were esteemed because of their realism, faithfulness of the costumes and color composition of his paintings. He was also a distinguished portrait painter.
Biography
Gallait was born in
Tournai
Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...
,
Hainaut, Belgium in 1810. He first studied in his native town under
Philippe Auguste Hennequin. In 1832 his first picture, ''Tribute to Caesar'', won a prize at the Salon of
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
. He then went to
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, to continue his studies under
Mathieu Ignace van Brée, and in the following year exhibited at the
Brussels Salon
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
''Christ Healing the Blind''. This picture was purchased by subscription and placed in the
Tournai Cathedral
The Tournai Cathedral, or Cathedral of Our Lady (french: Notre-Dame de Tournai, nl, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Doornik), is a Roman Catholic church, see of the Diocese of Tournai in Tournai, Belgium. It has been classified both as a Wallonia's majo ...
. Gallait next went to Paris, and he sent to the Belgian Salons ''Job on the Dunghill'', ''Montaigne Visiting Tasso in Prison'', and – to the Brussels Gallery in 1841 — ''The Abdication of Charles V''. The latter painting, which had been commissioned by the Belgian government, was hailed as a triumph and gained him a European reputation. The painting was exhibited together with a painting entitled the ''
Compromise of Nobles
The Compromise of Nobles ( nl, Eedverbond der Edelen; french: Compromis des Nobles) was a covenant of members of the nobility in the Habsburg Netherlands who came together to submit a petition to the Regent Margaret of Parma on 5 April 1566, ...
'' by another young Belgian painter,
Edouard de Bièfve. Both paintings subsequently travelled to exhibitions in many cities in Europe, and enjoyed a particularly enthusiast reception in Germany where they formed an important impetus for the development of a German school of history painting. Official invitations induced him to settle at Brussels.
Among his accomplished works may be named ''The Last Honors paid to Counts Egmont and Horn by the Corporations of the Town of Brussels'', now at Tournai; ''The Death of Egmont'', in the
Berlin gallery; the ''Coronation of Baudouin, Emperor of Constantinople'', painted for
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
; ''The Temptation of St Anthony'', in the palace at Brussels; ''The Siege of Antioch'', ''Art and Liberty'', ''Portrait of M. B. Dumortier'' and ''The Plague at Tournay'', all in the Brussels gallery. ''A Gipsy Woman and her Children'' was painted in 1852. He also served as the director and president of the
Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Brussels (french: Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts - École supérieure des Arts de la Ville de Bruxelles (ARBA-ESA), nl, Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten van Brussel), is an art school established in B ...
.
"M. Gallait has all the gifts that may be acquired by work, taste, judgment and determination," wrote
Théophile Gautier
Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic.
While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rem ...
. His art is that of a man of tact, a skilled painter, happy in his dramatic treatment but superficial. No doubt, this
Walloon artist, following the example of the Flemings of the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
and the treatment of Belgian classical painters and the French Romantic school, sincerely aimed at truth. Unfortunately, misled by contemporary taste, he could not conceive of it other than as dressed in sentimentality. As an artist employed by the State, he exercised considerable influence, and for a long time he was the leader of public taste in Brussels.
In 1849 he became correspondent of the
Royal Institute of the Netherlands, and the next year he became associated member.
Notable students include
Cesare Dell'Acqua
Cesare dell' Acqua (22 July 1821 – 16 February 1905) was an Italian painter known for historical works.
Life and career
Cesare Felice Giorgio Dell'Acqua was born in Piran (or Pirano d'Istria), near Trieste, the son of Andrea and Caterina Lengo ...
. Gallait died in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
in 1887.
Honours
* 1881: Grand Cordon in the
Order of Leopold.
[Handelsblad (Het) 15 May 1881]
* Member of the
Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium
The Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Académie royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique, sometimes referred to as ') is the independent learned society of science and arts of the French Comm ...
.
Notes
References
*
Further reading
* P. & V. Berko, "Dictionary of Belgian painters born between 1750 & 1875", Knokke 1981, p. 300.
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallait, Louis
1810 births
1887 deaths
Artists from Tournai
Belgian romantic painters
Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
19th-century Belgian painters
19th-century Belgian male artists
Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium
Honorary Members of the Royal Academy
Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)