Laurent de La Hyre

Laurent de La Hyre (; 27 February 1606 – 28 December 1656) was a French Baroque painter, born in Paris. He was a leading exponent of the neoclassical style of Parisian Atticism.

Life

La Hyre was greatly influenced by the work of Italian artists who came to Paris. He became a pupil of Georges Lallemand and studied the works of Primaticcio at Fontainebleau, but never visited Italy. La Hyre's captivating use of color and delicately posed figures are a trademark of his early, painteresque style. He was an innovative artist who used his superior skills as a storyteller to portray rarely depicted subjects. La Hyre is associated with the transitional period before the introduction of the French Baroque by Simon Vouet.''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 1911

His picture of Pope Nicholas V opening the crypt in which he discovers the corpse of St. Francis of Assisi standing (located at the Louvre) was executed in 1630 for the Capuchin friars of the Marais; its gravity and sobriety seems to have been influential for the next generation of French painters, particularly Eustache Le Sueur. The Louvre contains eight other works, and paintings by La Hyre are in the museums of Strasburg, Rouen and Le Mans.

His drawings, of which the British Museum possesses a fine example, ''Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple'', are treated as seriously as his paintings, and sometimes show simplicity and dignity of effect. The example of the Capuchins, for whom he executed several other works in Paris, Rouen and Fécamp, was followed by the goldsmith's company, for whom he produced in 1635 ''St. Peter healing the Sick'' (Louvre) and the ''Conversion of St Paul'' in 1637.

In 1648, La Hyre was one of the founders of the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture and was elected as one of the original twelve elders in charge of its running.''Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire de l'Académie royale de Peinture et de Sculpture depuis 1648 jusqu'en 1664''
Ed. Anatole de Montaiglon, Paris 1853, vol. I, p. 36.

Richelieu called La Hyre to the Palais Royal; Pierre Séguier, Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux and many others entrusted him with important works of decoration; for the Gobelins he designed a series of large compositions. La Hyre painted also a great number of portraits, and in 1654 united in one work for the town-hall of Paris those of the principal dignitaries of the municipality. His students included François Chauveau.

Works by Laurent de La Hyre

File:Laurent de La Hyre - Theseus and Aethra - WGA12325.jpg, ''Theseus and Aethra''
Laurent de La Hyre - The Rape of Europa - Google Art Project.jpg, ''The Rape of Europa''
File:La Hyre - Regency of Anne of Austria.jpg, ''Regency of Anne of Austria''
File:Laurent de La Hyre - Cyrus Announcing to Araspas that Panthea Has Obtained His Pardon - WGA12316.jpg, ''Cyrus Announcing to Araspas that Panthea Has Obtained His Pardon''
File:Laurent de la La Hyre 001.jpg, '' Cornelia Refuses The Crown of The Ptolomai'' (1646)
File:La Hyre Hercule et Omphale.jpg, ''Hercules and Omphale'' (1626)

File:Allegory of Astronomy - Laurent de La Hyre.jpg, ''Allegory of Astronomy'' (1649)
File:La-hyre-geometry.jpg, ''Allegory of Geometry'' (1649)
File:Laurent de La Hyre Allegory of Music 1649.png, ''Allegory of Music'' (1649)
File:Laurent de La Hyre - Allegory of Arithmetic - Walters 371917.jpg, ''Allegory of Arithmetic'' (1650)
File:Allegory of Dialectic.jpg, Allegory of Dialectic (1650)
File:Laurent de La Hyre - Allegory of Grammar - Walters 37862.jpg, ''Allegory of Grammar'' (1650)
File:Allegory of Rhetoric.jpg, ''Allegory of Rhetoric'' (1650)

File:Apparition du Christ aux pélerins d’Emmaüs by Laurent de La Hyre.jpg, ''Christ in Emmaus''

File:Abraham.jpg, ''Abraham Sacrificing Isaac''
File:Laurent de La Hyre - Laban Searching Jacob's Baggage for the Stolen Idols - WGA12321.jpg , ''Laban Searching Jacob's Baggage for the Stolen Idols ''
File:Laurent de La Hyre - Jesus Appearing to the Three Marys - WGA12319.jpg , ''Jesus Appearing to the Three Marys''

References

Sources

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External links

*
''Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi''
a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, which contains material on Laurent de La Hyre (see index)
''A Caravaggio Rediscovered, The Lute Player''
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on La Hyre (see cat. no. 19)

{{DEFAULTSORT:La Hyre, Laurent de
1606 births
1656 deaths
French Baroque painters
Painters from Paris
French tapestry artists