{"title":"Tour, Maurice Quentin de La","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaurice Quentin de La Tour (1704-1788)\u003c\/strong\u003e was a renowned French portraitist, celebrated for his masterful use of pastels. Born in Saint-Quentin, Picardy, La Tour initially trained under his father, a musician and artist, before moving to Paris in the early 1720s. There, he apprenticed briefly with the painters Jean-Baptiste Forest and Jacques Dumont. However, it was the medium of pastel that set him apart from his contemporaries, allowing him to achieve both remarkable delicacy and vibrancy in his portraiture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLa Tour’s career flourished during the reign of Louis XV, and he became one of the most sought-after portraitists among the French elite. He was particularly admired for his ability to capture not merely the physical likeness but also the psychological depth and lively expressions of his sitters. His subjects included royalty, intellectuals, and notable figures of the Age of Enlightenment, such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Madame de Pompadour, and King Louis XV himself. His pastel portraits are distinguished by their luminous colours, fine attention to detail, and subtle modelling of flesh tones.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1737, La Tour exhibited at the Paris Salon for the first time, gaining immediate acclaim. He was admitted to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1746, first as an associate and then as a full member. His success enabled him to accumulate considerable wealth, and he became a generous patron in his hometown, funding schools and charitable institutions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLa Tour was known for his meticulous and sometimes eccentric working methods, often labouring over a single portrait for months and requiring his sitters to pose for extended periods. Despite his popularity, he retired from public life in the late 1760s, plagued by increasing mental health difficulties. He spent his final years in Saint-Quentin, where he died in 1788.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, La Tour is widely regarded as one of the greatest pastel artists in history. His works can be found in major collections, including the Louvre and the Musée Antoine Lécuyer in Saint-Quentin, which holds the largest collection of his pastels. His influence endures in the fields of portraiture and pastel technique.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"tour-maurice-quentin-de-la-1704-1788-madame-de-pompadour-1748-55","title":"Tour, Maurice Quentin de la (1704-1788) - Madame de Pompadour 1748-55","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArtwork by the French Rococo artist Maurice Quentin de la Tour.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis download consists of 1 image in JPEG format that is 600dpi and 4833 pixels wide by 6327 pixels tall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe picture is out of copyright and in the public domain, so you are free to use it in whatever way you'd like, including commercial use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead more about \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/publicdomainimagelibrary.com\/collections\/tour-maurice-quentin-de-la\" title=\"Maurice Quentin de la Tour\"\u003eMaurice Quentin de la Tour\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Digital Download - 1 image","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":62773570404682,"sku":null,"price":0.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0776\/7965\/7290\/files\/Tour_MauriceQuentindela_1704-1788_-MadamedePompadour1748-55_main.jpg?v=1784627828"},{"product_id":"tour-maurice-quentin-de-la-1704-1788-mme-ferrand-meditating-on-newton-1753","title":"Tour, Maurice Quentin de la (1704-1788) - Mme Ferrand Meditating on Newton 1753","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArtwork by the French Rococo artist Maurice Quentin de la Tour.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis download consists of 1 image in JPEG format that is 600dpi and 4980 pixels wide by 6264 pixels tall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe picture is out of copyright and in the public domain, so you are free to use it in whatever way you'd like, including commercial use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead more about \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/publicdomainimagelibrary.com\/collections\/tour-maurice-quentin-de-la\" title=\"Maurice Quentin de la Tour\"\u003eMaurice Quentin de la Tour\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Digital Download - 1 image","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":62773676704074,"sku":null,"price":0.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0776\/7965\/7290\/files\/Tour_MauriceQuentindela_1704-1788_-MmeFerrandMeditatingonNewton1753_main.jpg?v=1784627829"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0776\/7965\/7290\/collections\/Tour_Maurice_Quentin_de_la_1704-1788-9542750.jpg?v=1784627724","url":"https:\/\/publicdomainimagelibrary.com\/collections\/tour-maurice-quentin-de-la.oembed","provider":"Public Domain Image Library","version":"1.0","type":"link"}