Also, his son Étienne was his pupil, and distinguishing between their work in versions of La Tour’s compositions is difficult.Īfter his death in 1652, La Tour’s work was forgotten until rediscovered in the early 1900s. Georges de La Tour often painted several variations on the same subjects. He painted mostly religious scenes lit by candlelight and specialized in Chiaroscuro compositions, using sharp contrasts between light and dark. Georges de La Tour (1593 – 1652) was a French Baroque painter, who spent most of his working life in the Duchy of Lorraine, which was absorbed into France between 16. How the painting left France became a matter of controversy in the French press in the 1960s. There was some doubt about its authenticity, and it remained with an art dealer until the MET purchased it in 1960. The painting was discovered in a French castle in 1949. Georges de La Tour is better known for his religious compositions, in which the figures are illuminated by a single light source and lack the elaborate costume detail of The Fortune Teller’s characters. The painting’s authenticity has been questioned but is now accepted by the MET as La Tour’s work. The girl on the boy’s left is also in on the conspiracy, as she cuts a medal worn by the boy from its chain. Her companion in profile has a hand ready to take the purse. Most of the women portrayed are gypsies, and after the stereotype of the time, they are depicted as thieves.Īs the young man is engrossed in the fortune-telling, the woman on the left is stealing the coin purse from his pocket. The fortune-teller takes the coin from his hand, not only in payment but as part of the ritual in which she will cross his hand with it. The painting catches a moment where a young man of wealth is having his fortune told by the older woman at right. “The Fortune Teller” by Georges de La Tour was painted in 1630 and re-discovered in 1960. “The Fortune Teller” by Georges de La Tour
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |