The most distinguished pupil of Vouet was Le Brun, who contributed greatly to elevate the character of the French school. lie was prolific in grand subjects, nobly conceived, and executed with accuracy and skill : the greater part of which are too intimately known to those who have enjoyed the spectacle of the Louvre to require to be mentioned. His expressions arc a little theatrical. and not sufficiently varied ; yet this branch was the subject of his particular study, as appears from his well known treatise on the subject ; but this very circumstance may have contributed to limit his observation on the subject, and make him the mannerist, which, in this particular, his works testify that lie became. He had systemized and re duced into the narrow compass of imaginary rules, a sub ject which is as various as the infinitely varied modifica tions of passion and feelings, of which expression is indi cative. The passions may admit of general classification ; but as each contains a world of indefinable diversities, it is in vain to attempt the definition of so general an idea by one specific representation. From having, however, laid down these rules, Le Brun was naturally induced to act upon them, and the consequence is, a monotony of expres sion in which he seems to copy himself. If Le Brun's passions were not generally announced in the representa tion, we might often be at a loss to give each its specific character ; in fact, instead of a representation of the hu man passions, we might, without much stretch of proba bility, write them down, The varieties of insanity por trayed ! The leading error in the mode of expressing character by French artists partakes, as might be expected, a good deal of their manners in ordinary life. Instead of repre senting much by slight indications of expression, as is consistent with the dignified and grave demeanour of he roic character, or even of common life, any whcrt but in France, they employ violent and exaggerated expression to denote comparatively feeble movements of the mind. Like players, they overcharge the expression and atti tudes, in order to make their impression discernible in the galleries, which is not only unnecessary, but destructive of effect ; as an expression which seems suppressed is of all others the most impressive, in so far as we are doubt ful of its violence ; and so vigilant is the eye in reading the mind of others, that the slightest indication is as intelligi ble, and far more relied upon, than stronger demonstra tions of feeling.
Le Brun was much attached to allegory, in which he displays great fancy ; but when mixed up in the same pic ture with real history and character, however dexterously managed, it cannot fail to prove revolting to that consist ency and truth which is required in an art, that is the imi tation of nature.
Le Sueur, who was a contemporary of Le Brun, and his rival in merit, was a far more chaste and pleasing artist, in so far as there was less affectation in his manner. He aimed at the grace and modesty of Raphael, and is entitled to rank high among his imitators for the noble and simple air of his figures, elegant flowing draperies, and correct expression of character. He despised the meretricious trickery of strong contrasts in grouping and colouring, theatrical attitudes, and overstrained expressions, with which his countrymen generally solicited admiration and astonishment. He sought to express his subject with
truth, modesty, and grace, to win our admiration by con cealing the art and the artist, and by that quiet harmo nious repose of colour and composition, secure the undi vided attention of the spectator. The greatest undertak ing of Le Sueur was the event of St. Bruno's life, which he painted in twenty-two distinct pictures, for the convent of the Chart•eux in Paris. They were originally painted on wood, but have been since removed to canvas, and are now exhibited at the Louvre. Although a far superior painter to Le Brim, Le Sueur was not, during his lifetime, held in such estimation in France. Le Brun was the fa vourite of the court ; and the court of Louis the Four teenth was omnipotent.
La Hire, Stella, and Bourdon, painted about the same period, and likewise Courtois, called Bourgignon, the pro lific painter of battles and skirmishes of cavalry.
The inimitable Claud Gelee, called de Lorraine, was born in the first year of the seventeenth century, and went to Rome as a pastry cook, where, for want of employment, he entered the service of Tassi, a landscape painter, which gave the first impetus to his genius. He attained to such a degree of excellence in the particular hranch of land scape painting, as to give it a more important character than it had hitnerto held ; the wonderful delicacy and lightness of foliage, vapoury distance, liquid transparency of sky, and motion of his light flickering clouds, was new to the art, and in felicity of execution he has never since been surpassed. The only defect of his pictures is in the figures, which are positively lumpish and bad, and not un like the productions of his first profession. He was him self quite aware of his failure in this particular, and some times obtained the assistance of another hand, in general that of Lauri, or J. Courtois. The subjects of his pictures are generally so extensive, varied by such an Infinity of charmingly painted objects copied from nature, held in the most admirable harmony of colour and aerial perspec tive, that the eye never tires gazing upon them. The suc cession of tufty glades and extensive plains, where the dis tant curling smoke marks a thousand habitations, the bendings of rivers and broad bayed lakes, seems to require the length of a day's journey to reach the distant sea shore, which generally terminates his horizon, although it does not terminate the beauties of his picture ; for the sky pre sents a scene equally varied and interesting. The learned and unlearned are alike fascinated by the pictures of Claude, for they are nature itself, decked in the most beautiful attire. There are no meaningless masses in his scenery; every tree and plant is marked by its distinctive character, and painted with accuracy and study ; every beam of light, and every shadow has its cause; the period of the clay and season is correctly obvious, in every sepa rate part, lie is reported to have selected the beautifully extensive view from the terrace of the Villa Madama near Rome as his favourite study, and to have made it the ori ginal of his general compositions.