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| Louis Gallait (1810–1887) | ||||||||||
| A Belgian history, portrait, and genre painter, Louis Gallait was born in Tournai, the son of Ignace Gallait, the renowned artist credited with reviving the glory of the Flemish school. Educated in his hometown, he showed artistic talent from an early age, winning a prize from the Ghent Academy in 1832 for Christ and the Pharisees. The municipal authorities of Tournai purchased another of his works, Christ Restoring Sight to the Blind Man, and presented it to the cathedral. In 1835, the city granted him a sum of money that enabled him to study in Paris under Philippe Auguste Hennequin. His career thereafter was marked by assured success. Gallait's ambitious and melodramatic paintings were widely popular with the public, though sometimes criticised by fellow artists and connoisseurs. Wherever his works were exhibited, they became the main attraction; kings competed with private collectors to acquire them, and he received commissions from both foreign governments and his own. Honours were bestowed upon him by sovereigns and academies, and during a visit to London in 1862, he was hosted at a banquet by English artists. The admiration his works inspired was well-earned: his art shared much with that of his contemporary Hendrik Scheffer, though Gallait was regarded as a far more accomplished craftsman. He was a member of the Institute of France and an honorary foreign Royal Academician. Several of his paintings were included in the International Exhibition of 1862. He died in Brussels. | ||||||||||
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Art