Georges de La Tour

Georges de La Tour was a French Baroque painter famous for his dramatic candlelit scenes. Born in the region of Lorraine in 1593, he became known for quiet, still images in which a single candle or flame lights the faces and hands of his figures, casting deep shadows all around. His subjects range from religious scenes to card sharps and fortune tellers.

His handling of warm light in darkness owes something to the great Italian painter Caravaggio, but he made it strikingly calm and simplified. Largely forgotten for centuries, La Tour was rediscovered in the twentieth century, and his serene, glowing night scenes are now among the most admired works of French Baroque art.