1616 -1655 · French classicism, Parisian atticism and religious painting

Clarity of the story, measured gestures, harmonious colors and tender spirituality make Eustache Le Sueur one of the masters of Parisian classicism of the 17th century.

Eustache Le Sueur was born in Paris in 1616 into a family of artisans. He entered the workshop of Simon Vouet, the main introducer of the great Italian Baroque decor in France. Without making the trip to Rome, Le Sueur studied Raphaël, Poussin and Antiquity through paintings, prints and Parisian collections. He gradually moved away from Vouet's dynamism to seek clearer expression, contained gestures, harmonious colors and stripped-down spiritual emotion. This trend, often described as Parisian atticism, met the expectations of a learned clientele. This trend, often described as Parisian atticism, met the expectations of a learned clientele. Between 1645 and 1648, Le Sueur produced a cycle of twenty-two for the small cloister of the Carthusians of Paris paintings dedicated to the Life of Saint Bruno. The scenes alternate conversation, travel, vision and prayer in simple architecture where each gesture remains readable. Seized during the Revolution, the ensemble is today one of the great ensembles of the Louvre. In 1648, Le Sueur participated with Le Brun and other artists in the founding of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. The following year, The Preaching of Saint Paul in Ephesus, painted like May of Notre-Dame, brought its ideal of classical narration to a monumental scale. He also worked for Parisian residences, notably the Hôtel Lambert, where mythology, Muses and allegories found a graceful tone. Died prematurely in Paris in 1655, at thirty-eight years old, Le Sueur leaves a brief but fundamental work for French painting. The "Eustache Le Sueur" selection notably compares The Preaching of Saint Paul in Ephesus and The Dream of Saint Bruno. His reading favors movement.

The Sweat makes eloquence visible without emphasis: architecture, gesture and color lead the story with a gentleness that intensifies the spiritual presence.