LAIRESSE, GERARD, an eminent painter, was born at Liege in 1640. He acquired his knowledge of the art from his father; but there is reason to believe that lie also studied under Bartolet, from whom lie probeley derived the taste for the antique which appears in his works. He first followed his profession at Utrecht, where be met with little encouragement; but having been advised to !end one of his pictures to the famous picture-dealer Vylenburg, at Amsterdam, ho was so pleased with it that lie prevailed on Lairesse to remove to Amsterdam, which proved the means of raising him from poverty and obscurity to fortune and reputation. Having a lively imagi nation, great rapidity of execution, and groat industry, the number of paintings which ho executed was very great. They are of very unequal degrees of merit, but all bear marks of considerable ability.
Ilia expression is generally good, his colouring true and glowing, and his touch light and firm ; his draperies too are well cast, broad, simple, and in natural folds. When be introduces architecture into his backgrounds it seems to have been designed after Greek or Roman model,. He also acquired considerable reputation by his etchings. He had the misfortune to become blind several years before his death, but in this state lie was surrounded by artists and lovers of painting.
to whom he was fond of communicating instruction. The celebrated treatise on the art of painting which goes by his name was not actually written by him, but compiled from his observations during his blindness, and published by a society of artists after his death, which happened in the year 1711, in the seventy-first year of his age.