Guillaume Taraval

White Sea, ceiling painting fresco by Guillaume Thomas Taraval, depicted on postcard

Guillaume Thomas Taraval (21 December 1701 – April 1750) was a Swedish painter of French descent.^[1]

Taraval first came to Sweden in 1732 and was mainly active in the Stockholm Palace. He produced a series of elegant ceiling paintings and introduced the Rococo decorative style to Sweden. He also painted portraits, altarpieces and still lifes, and prepared sketches for a chandelier in the chapel, which was then completed by his disciple John Pasch. He also played a major part in the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts, becoming its first director on its foundation in 1735.

He had two sons, the painter Hugues Taraval and the architect and engraver Louis Gustave Taraval. The latter's son, Jean-Gustave Taraval, was also a painter.^[2]

References

1. Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon, 1906.
2. Lee 1996.

Sources

• Lee, Simon (1996). "Taraval", vol. 30, p. 343, in The Dictionary of Art (34 volumes), edited by Jane Turner. New York: Grove. Also at Oxford Art Online.
• Carl G. Laurin, Konsthistoria, Stockholm, 1919
• This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding Swedish Wikipedia article.

External links