Catalogue of the "Charles de La Fosse (1636-1716), The Triumph of Colour" exhibition (FRENCH)

Although he has been somewhat forgotten over the last two centuries, Charles de La Fosse (1636-1716) was the great introducer of new ideas during the reign of Louis XIV, with whom he was the exact contemporary. His work bears witness to the evolution of artistic creation, from Charles Le Brun, whose student he was, to Antoine Watteau, a close friend. Considered one of the best painters of his time, Charles de La Fosse took part in all the royal worksites at the Tuileries, the Palace of Versailles and the Invalides, while dedicating a large part of his activity to private commissions. His work is also remarkable for his many drawings, notably those using the “trois crayons” technique (red, black and white).

Published for the first monographic exhibition organised jointly by the Palace of Versailles and the Nantes Museum of Fine Arts, this catalogue highlights the different facets of the artist’s talent. He drew from the masters of the Académie (Nicolas Poussin and Charles Le Brun), and reinvented himself through his contacts with Venetian (Titian and Paolo Veronese) and Flemish (Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck) painting to create a light, seductive style with shimmering colours. Preferring colour over lines, de La Fosse’s work was extremely innovative, making him one of the major forerunners of the 18^th century.

Authors : Béatrice SARRAZIN, Adeline COLLANGE-PERUGI et Clémentine GUSTIN-GOMEZ
Coeditors : Somogy - éditions d'art

ISBN : 978-2-7572-0915-8
Number of pages : 240
Date of publication : February 2015
Language : french