born , March 19, 1593, Vic-sur-Seille, Lorraine, Fr.
died Jan. 30, 1652, Luneville
painter, mostly of candlelit subjects, who was well known in his own
time but then forgotten until well into the 20th century, when the
identification of many formerly misattributed works established his
modern reputation as a giant of French painting.
La Tour became a master painter and eventually settled in Luneville.
King Louis XIII, Henry II of Lorraine, and the Duke de La Ferte were
among the collectors of his work. Although the chronology of La Tour's
output is uncertain, it is clear that he initially painted in a
realistic manner and was influenced by the dramatic chiaroscuro of
Caravaggio or his followers.
The paintings of La Tour's maturity, however, are marked by a startling
geometric simplification of the human form and by the depiction of
interior scenes lit only by the glare of candles or torches. His
religious paintings done in this manner have a monumental simplicity and
a stillness that expresses both contemplative quiet and wonder.
The body of his work was conclusively identified by the German art
historian Hermann Voss and by other scholars after 1915. La Tour's work
also exhibits a high degree of originality in colour and composition;
the characteristic simplification of forms gives many of his pictures a
deceptively modern appearance. Among La Tour's most impressive candlelit
scenes are “The Newborn,” “St. Joseph the Carpenter,” and “The
Lamentation over St. Sebastian.” “The Hurdy-gurdy Player” and “The
Sharper” are among his less numerous daylight compositions.
