Charles Le Brun was a famous French painter during 17th century. Son of a sculptor, he caught the attention of Pierre Séguier, the French statesmen who later on became the chancellor of France, and Séguier placed him at the age of eleven under the tutelage of Simon Voulet, the renowned French painter. Charles Le Brun received his first commission when he was still in his teens from none other than Cardinal Richelieu and then was appointed by Fouquet, the Superintendent of Finance, to work at his estate in collaboration with Louis Le Vau and André le Nôtre. The style created by the trio became a trend and began to be known as ‘Louis XIV Style’. The style attracted the notice of King Louis XIV. Although he had Fouquet arrested on the charge of misappropriation of funds, he quickly engaged the artists and commissioned Le Brun to create a series on Alexander the Great. Pleased by the outcome, he declared Le Brun the First Painter of France and from then on every work in the royal palaces was done under his supervision. However, Le Brun was more than a great artist. He was also a great organizer and administrator. As head of a number of art academies, he left a lasting imprint on the development of art in France.
