Pierre Henri de Valenciennes

Pierre Henri de Valenciennes was a French painter and art theorist born in 1750 and active until his death in 1819. He was a prominent figure in the Neoclassicism movement, known for his landscapes and historical scenes that emphasized clarity and order. Valenciennes studied under the influential artist François Boucher and later became a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts. His work contributed to the development of landscape painting in France, and he is recognized for his theoretical writings on art, particularly his treatise "Eléments de perspective" which explored the principles of perspective in painting. Valenciennes' legacy includes his role in shaping the transition from Rococo to Neoclassical aesthetics in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.