Book of Job (circa 1805-1806; New York, Pierpont
Morgan Library). During the 17905 and early iSoos
Blake took up color printing, but he returned to water-
color in the books Milton and Jerusalem, which occupied
him from around 1804 to 1820. In 1818 Blake met his sec-
ond important patron, John Linnell, who in 1823 -1824
commissioned illustrations to Dante's Divina commedia,
which are among Blake's most powerful works. Blake's
highly personal, visionary art had an important impact
on the younger generation of British artists, especially
Samuel Palmer.ABRAHAM BLOEMAERT
Gorinchem 1564-Utrecht 1651
Bloemaert received his earliest training in Utrecht, first
under his father, Cornelis, and later under Joos de Beer.
Between 15 80 and 1583 he lived in Paris, where he studied
with Hieronymus Francken. In 1583 Bloemaert returned
to Utrecht; he remained there until his death, save for a
stay in Amsterdam in 1591-1593. At this time he came
under the influence of the Haarlem Mannerists, in par-
ticular Hendrick Goltzius, and, through him, the work
of Bartholomeus Spranger. Bloemaert's later works,
such as the Adoration of the Magi (1624; Centraal Museum
Utrecht), show the influence of the Caravaggist painters
of Utrecht as well as Rubens. Bloemaert painted pri-
marily religious and mythological scenes, often with
landscape backgrounds. Bloemaert's influence as a
draughtsman continued due to his Artis Apelles Liber
... , a collection of engravings after his drawings pub-
lished by his son Frederick that first appeared circa 1650.
FRANCOIS BOUCHER
Paris 1703-1770
Boucher, one of the great decorative painters of the Ro-
coco, trained with his father, Nicolas, and, later, with
Francois Lemoine (circa 1720) and Jean-Frangois Cars.
Boucher was a skilled draughtsman and book illustrator
and between 1722 and 1728 collaborated on Jean de Ju-
lienne's Figures de differents caracteres, reproducing more
than a hundred of Watteau's drawings in etchings. He
won the Prix de Rome in 1723 and in 1727 traveled to
Italy with Carle van Loo. Having returned to France by
1731 , Boucher rapidly gained the favor of the court and
of Parisian connoisseurs. Mme de Pompadour became
his most notable patron. Boucher was admitted to the
Academic in 1734 and elected president in 1765, the year
in which he was also proclaimed premier peintre du roi. In
addition to his decorations for private houses and the
royal residences of Versailles, Fontainebleau, Marly, and
Choisy, Boucher created tapestry designs for the royal
factories and in 1755 was appointed surinspecteur at Gob-
elins. His voluptuous mythological fantasies, endearing
depictions of domestic life, and light-hearted pastoral
scenes are celebrated for their charming, graceful, and
often titillating manner. His major works include the
Luncheon (1739; Paris, Louvre), the Rape of Europa (1747;
Louvre), and the Shepherd and Shepherdess at Rest (1761;
London, Wallace Collection).ETIENNE-LOUIS BOULLEE
Paris 1728-1799
Boullee first studied painting, but turned to architecture
at his father's behest, working with Jacques-Frangois
Blondel and Jean-Laurent Legeay. During the 17605 and
'705, he designed a type of private residence having the
appearance of a single story extended horizontally, as can
be seen in the still-surviving Hotel Alexandre, Paris
(1763-1766), or the Hotel de Brunoy in the same city
(1774-1779; destroyed). In the 17805 Boullee concen-
trated his efforts as an educator, academician, and theo-
retician. His theory that architecture could elicit moral
and emotional responses when the combination of forms
suggested a union with divinity is illustrated in his draw-
ings for projects such as the Metropole (1781-1782) and
the cenotaph for Sir Isaac Newton in the Bibliotheque
Nationale, Paris (1784; inv. HA.57, nos. 1-3, HA.57, nos.
5-10). These principles are preserved in his thesis Archi-
tecture: Essai BUY Vart, which was published in 1793. Boul-
lee's theories made an important contribution to the de-
velopment of the Neoclassical style in architecture.JACQUES CALLOT
Nancy circa 1592-163 5
Callot, an important and influential printmaker, trained
in Nancy with the goldsmith Demange Crocq and in
1608 traveled to Rome to apprentice with the engraver
Philippe Thomassin. Moving to Florence in 1612, he
studied with the scenographer/architect Giulio Parigi,
began producing watercolors, and entered the service of
the Medici court. He produced numerous drawings and
etchings of fairs, festivals, courtiers, beggars, and hunch-
backs, all described with a Mannerist's flair for elegance,
wit, and picturesque detail, as can be seen in the Balli di
Sfessania (1620-1635) or the Fair at Impruneta (1620). Re-
turning to Nancy in 1621, Callot worked for the duke of
Lorraine and nobles of the court depicting fanciful scenes
of daily life, including the Gardens of the Palace at Nancy
(1625). Callot also concentrated on more serious subjects
in his masterpiece The Miseries of War (1633). Since most
of his painted decorations have been destroyed, he is
known today primarily as a graphic artist. His repertoireARTISTS BIOGRAPHIES 335