Bertholet Flémal: Liège-Paris artistic bridge

Description

KAIRIS (Pierre-Yves) & Preface by Alain Mérot. Bertholet Flémal (1614-1675): The 'Raphaël des Pays-Bas' at the crossroads of Liège and Paris. Paris, Arthena, 2015. Publisher's binding in cardboard with illustrated dust jacket, (32 x 24 cm), 256 pages with nearly 280 illustrations, including over 100 in color. Bertholet Flémal, a major figure in the Liège artistic hub oriented toward Rome and Paris in the 17th century, trained under the Caravaggist Gérard Douffet. He first gained fame for his innovative altar paintings before captivating private collectors with cabinet paintings, particularly Bacchanalian scenes. His career led him frequently to Paris, where he painted the dome of the Carmelite church and the ceiling of the throne room at the Tuileries, later becoming a member of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture. A multifaceted personality, he served as official painter to the Prince-Bishop of Liège, architect, illustrator, and tenor at the city's cathedral, ending his life as a canon at a collegiate church. A true master of his school, his workshop trained numerous students, including Gérard de Lairesse, the 'Dutch Poussin,' now recognized as one of the era's great artists. His cataloged oeuvre, now comprising around a hundred works often unpublished, finally reveals the full measure of a powerful artist whom Sandrart called the 'Raphaël des Pays-Bas' in 1679, just four years after his death.