Vaishnavi Srivastava
15th June 2023. ON THIS DAY.
Brother to Jacques Courtois and Jean Francois Courtois, Guillaume Courtois was a French-Italian painter and draughtsman. Being the son of the painter Jean-Pierre Courtois, Guillaume left France at the young age of 7, to travel to Italy alongside his teen brothers and father. He learnt his art in the studio of Pietro da Cortana wherein he mimicked the artworks of Andrea Sacchi and Giovanni Lanfranco. His classicized style is often said to resemble that of Carlo Maratta.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
The artworks by Guillaume Courtois chiefly consisted of religious depictions of mythological events. Most of his art was either staffage or battleground portrayal of scenes. He was famous and involved along with his brother Jacques Courtois in the Chapel of the Congregation of Jesuits. His first major commission, however, was the San Marco in Rome. It is here that he painted the Martyrdom of St Andrew for the high altar and the Battle of Joshua for the Gallery of Alexander VII. His influences from Carracci and Lanfranco are depicted in his usage of colours and are characteristic feature in his works. His influence from Maratta is the reason behind the underlying presence of Baroque and Classicist styles in his artworks. It is pretty evident in the facial feature of the women in his paintings for instance Madonna Of the Rosary. Courtois’ skills as a draughtsman are evident in his preparatory drawings for The Martyrdom of St. Mark Frescos for the San Marco depict strong use of chiaroscuro.
Courtesy: Wikipedia.
The tragic demise of Guillaume Courtois was on this day, 15th June 1679. The painter was known for his frescos and collaborative works with artists such as Abraham Brueghel and Bernini. While his earlier works contained a presence of a more naturalist style along with a strong sense of drama, his later works consisted of an overpowering presence of the Baroque style of painting. Having a guiding figure of his father and brothers who were painters as well, Guillaume Courtois had a persistent influence on art throughout his life which was highly reflected in his paintings and artworks that are great contributions to the religious and artistic history of Europe.
Vaishnavi Srivastava is a learning writer, a keen researcher and a literature enthusiast. She is a Sub-editor at Abir Pothi.
