HISTORY

George de La Tour

Forgotten Master

Georges de La Tour (March 13, 1593, Vic-sur-Seille, Moselle – January 30, 1652, Lunéville) was a painter, who spent most of his working life in the Duchy of Lorraine, (which was absorbed into France between 1641 and 1648,) during his lifetime. He painted mostly religious scenes lit by candlelight. After centuries of posthumous obscurity, during the 20th century, he became one of the most highly regarded of French 17th-century Baroque artists. In his lifetime he was known as the Painter to the King (of France), and was regarded as one of the greatest artists. Very little of his work survives and the reason for his obscurity is unknown, but thanks to the efforts of Hermann Voss, a German scholar, in 1915 his work was rediscovered.