1593 -1652 · Lorraine, French Caravaggio and nocturnal by candlelight

Protected flames, sculptural faces, deep silences and popular scenes give Georges de La Tour a unique place in 17th century French painting.

Georges de La Tour was born in 1593 in Vic-sur-Seille, in the Duchy of Lorraine. His training remains poorly documented, but his painting reveals a knowledge of Caravaggesque naturalism spread north of the Alps. Installed in Lunéville after his marriage, he worked for a Lorraine clientele before obtaining the title of ordinary painter to King Louis XIII. His work is divided between daytime and nighttime scenes. The first observe beggars, musicians, players and fortune tellers in a cold light which specifies the fabrics, faces and gestures. The Cheater with the Ace of Diamonds thus transforms a game of cards into a moral lesson: looks and hands announce it deception even before the young player understands it. In the nocturnals, a candle visible or hidden behind one hand becomes the architect of the entire scene. Saint Joseph carpenter, The Newborn and the different Magdalenes reduce decor and movement in order to concentrate attention on meditation, fragility and the passage of time. The shapes are simplified, the volumes almost geometric and the colors limited to a few accords of red, ocher, brown and white. After his death in Lunéville in 1652, La Tour fell largely into oblivion; his artistic personality was not rebuilt until the 20th century, when several paintings hitherto attributed to other masters are compared to its name. The preserved corpus remains restricted and questions of workshop or attribution remain important. This rarity reinforces the coherence of a language where light does not only describe bodies: it gives a visible form to silence. The "Georges de La Tour" selection notably compares The Cheater with the Ace of Diamonds and The Madeleine with the Night Light. His reading favors figures.

At La Tour, a flame is enough to build space: it shapes faces, slows down gestures and transforms history into silent meditation.