Louis Galle is a great Belgian artist whose unique cycle of historical portraits has adorned the parliament hall in Brussels for 150 years.

Louis Galle (May 10, 1810 – November 20, 1887) is a famous Belgian artist of the 19th century, a prominent representative of the historical genre. He was also a brilliant portrait painter and painted many paintings on everyday subjects.

Louis Galle is rightfully considered the creator of his own school of Belgian historical painting. He often painted paintings commissioned by the government of his country. And he received many prestigious awards for his great contribution to the development of national fine arts.

Biography

Louis Galle was born on May 10, 1810 in the ancient Belgian city of Tournai, founded in the 5th century by the Romans. From early childhood he loved to draw. While still in elementary school, he began attending private lessons with the famous master of historical painting, Philippe Auguste Ennequin. Later, Louis became a student at the art school in his native Tour. After leaving school, he worked for several years as a clerk in a law firm.

In 1832, Louis won a historical painting competition organized by the authorities of Ghent. Having received a small cash prize, the young artist left for Antwerp to continue his studies at the Royal Academy of Painting under the guidance of Professor Matthäus Ignatius van Bree. Galle was one of the best students at a prestigious educational institution and two years later he was eligible for a cash subsidy from the Belgian authorities.

Inspired by the successful development of his career, in 1834 Louis went to Paris, where he lived for the next ten years. In 1835, Louis Galle took part in the Paris Salon for the first time, where his painting The Oath of Vargas was warmly received by the public and critics. From that moment on, the young artist gained fame in many European countries. And the French king Louis-Philippe became a regular customer of the Belgian painter.

Success

But the real success came to Halle in 1841, after drawing the historical painting “The Renunciation of Charles V”. A huge work measuring five by seven meters, exhibited at the Paris Salon in the same year. The painting was awarded the highest award of the event, and the artist himself became a Chevalier of the Order of the Legion of Honor.

In March 1844, the painter married Simone Peak and finally returned to his native Belgium with his wife. They settled in Schaerbeek, a suburb of Brussels, and lived together for over 40 years. Galle also successfully worked in the portrait genre and was engaged in the manufacture of engravings. At the age of 40, Louis Galle became a full member of the Academy of Arts in Brussels. And in the 1870s he was appointed President of this prestigious institution.

Portraits of 15 of the country’s greatest historical figures

The Belgian king Leopold I in 1862, by his decree, granted the artist the title of baron, but Halle modestly refused. Nevertheless, it was Louis who was entrusted by the authorities of the kingdom with the execution of a large-scale order – writing portraits of 15 of the country’s greatest historical figures for the central meeting room of the upper house of parliament in Brussels. The painter brilliantly coped with the responsible work. The masterpieces he created still adorn the walls of the Belgian Senate.

Until the end of his life, the brilliant master painted with great pleasure in oil and watercolor. On November 20, 1887, Louis Gallé died at his luxurious home in Schaerbeek at the age of 76. The Belgian government fully paid for the magnificent funeral of the great painter. In his small homeland – in the central park of the city of Tournai – in 1891 a monument was erected by Guillaume Charnier.