François Boucher (1703 - 1770)

French painter

François Boucher, French painter, born in Paris. Boucher learned the first principles of painting from his father Nicolas, a member of the Académie de Saint-Luc. He was apprenticed by his father to François Lemoyne, a history painter. Although he only stayed there for three months, several early paintings show the influence of Lemoyne. In 1723 he won the Grand Prix, which included a stay at the French Academy in Rome. As the was no room at the Academy, it would take five years before Boucher went to Italy, at his own expense. The intervening years were spent in the household of the engraver Jean-François Cars, where he learned the principles of printmaking. He used his experience working for the print publisher Jean de Jullienne where he produced numurous etchings after compositions of Jean Antoine Watteau. Little is known about his three year stay in Italy, but on his return, he was admitted to the Académie de peinture et de sculpture as a historical painter, and gained full membership in 1734. This was the beginning of a very succesful career, winning several important commissions from the French Royals and aristocracy, making him one of the most important and influential Rococo painters. He was the favourite painter of Madame de Pompadour. Under her patronage, he painted some of his most impressive works. He advanced from professor to Rector of the Academy, becoming head of the Royal Gobelins Manufactory in 1755 and finally First Painter of the King in 1765. This highlight of his career didn't last long as he died in Paris in 1770.