Francois Boucher (1703 - 1770)

Possibly the most popular 18th century artist, Francois Boucher was a French painter in the Rococo style. When he was 17 years old, Boucher was apprenticed for a short time to the French painter Francois Lemoyne, and then to the engraver Jean-Francois Cars. After three years of work and artistic study, Boucher won the Grand Prix de Rome, a scholarship for artistic study, allowing him to travel to Italy and further his study in art. Upon his return to France, he was accepted into the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, and three years later became a faculty member.