 |
| Georges de La Tour Fortune Teller ca. 1630-40 oil on canvas Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
 |
| Georges de La Tour Blind Musician ca. 1620-30 oil on canvas Museo del Prado, Madrid |
 |
| Georges de La Tour Peasant Couple eating Peas ca. 1620-25 oil on canvas Gemäldegalerie, Berlin |
"Little is known of Georges de La Tour's life. By 1620 he was established at the prosperous town of Lunéville, where he specialized in religious and genre scenes. His primary patrons seem to have been Lunéville's bourgeoisie and the duchy's administration at nearby Nancy. In 1639 he gained the title of peintre du roi and was wealthy enough to arouse jealousy among his fellow townsmen. La Tour's early mode typifies the Mannerist style of Nancy. By the 1620s, however, he had come into contact with the art of Caravaggio, probably through prints or paintings by northern artists such as Gerrit van Honthorst and Hendrick ter Brugghen. Lit by crisp daylight, La Tour's works from this period are characterized by their still atmosphere and meticulous rendering of ornament and textures. Increasingly, La Tour was drawn to candlelight scenes in which a single flame created an atmosphere of otherworldly calm. He gradually simplified forms until, in his late works, all masses were reduced to simple, almost geometrical shapes. After his death, La Tour passed into virtual oblivion for almost three centuries."
– curator's notes from the Getty Museum
 |
| Georges de La Tour St Jerome ca. 1621-23 oil on canvas Royal Collection, Great Britain |
 |
| Georges de La Tour Dream of St Joseph ca. 1630-45 oil on canvas Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes |
 |
| Georges de La Tour St Joseph Carpenter ca. 1640-50 oil on canvas Musée du Louvre |
 |
| Georges de La Tour St Thomas ca. 1625-30 oil on canvas Musée du Louvre |
 |
| Georges de La Tour St Thomas before 1652 oil on canvas National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo |
 |
| Georges de La Tour The Cheat with the Ace of Clubs ca. 1630-34 oil on canvas Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas |
 |
| Georges de La Tour The Musicians' Brawl ca. 1635-40 oil on canvas Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
 |
| Georges de La Tour The Newborn ca. 1640-50 oil on canvas Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes |
 |
| Georges de La Tour Penitent Magdalen ca. 1640 oil on canvas Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
 |
| Georges de La Tour Penitent Magdalen ca. 1638-40 oil on canvas Los Angeles County Museum of Art |
 |
| Georges de La Tour Penitent Magdalen ca. 1635-40 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art, Washington DC |