Claude Lorrain

Born as Claude Gellée in Chamagne, France in 1600, Claude Lorrain is known as the greatest landscape artist of the 17th century.

Lorrain was an employed pastry cook for Agostino Tassi before becoming his apprentice from 1618 until 1625. Tassi was a major influencer of Lorrain’s art style.

After his apprenticeship, Lorrain’s commissioned works were famous, causing them to be imitated by many. To prevent theft, he recorded them in a notebook- later published as the ‘Liber Veritatis’.

Lorrain usually painted seascapes and landscapes before 1640, mastering atmospheric perspective.

Onwards, his works involved human subjects, taking studies from Domenichino and Annibale Carracci. He included biblical and mythological subjects, making his compositions more complex and lively.

Lorrain was the first to open public eyes to the beauty of nature, with rich English men modelling their gardens after Claude’s work. His last known painting was ‘Ascanius Shooting the Stag of Silva‘ in 1682 before dying during that year.

Lorrain specified strictly on nature and light in landscape painting, unlike artists who painted a wider range of subjects such as Rubens and Rembrandt.

This choice made his art appeal to later generations, with his study of nature solidifying his place in art history.

WORKS CITED

• Gombrich, E.H. “Visions and Visions: Italy, later seventeenth and eighteenth century” The Story of Art, by Ernst Hans. GOMBIRCH, 16th ed., Phaidon, 1995
• “Claude Lorrain (1600 – 1682).” A Biographical Dictionary of Artists, Andromeda, edited by Lawrence Gowing, Windmill Books (Andromeda International), 2nd edition, 1995. Credo Reference, https://search-credoreference-com.ezproxy.capilanou.ca/content/entry/andbda/claude_lorrain_1600_1682/0. Accessed 05 Oct. 2019.
• “Claude Lorrain.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, Paul Lagasse, and Columbia University, Columbia University Press, 8th edition, 2018. Credo Reference, https://search-credoreference-com.ezproxy.capilanou.ca/content/entry/columency/claude_lorrain/0. Accessed 06 Oct. 2019.
• “Liber Veritatis.” British Museum, Trustees of the British Museum, 2019, https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1525759&partId=1
  “Claude Lorrain Artworks & Famous Paintings.” The Art Story, The Art Story Foundation, 2019, www.theartstory.org/artist/lorrain-claude/artworks/.
  The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology. “Landscape with Ascanius Shooting the Stag of Sylvia.” Landscape with Ascanius Shooting the Stag of Sylvia | Art UK, Art UK, artuk.org/discover/artworks/landscape-with-ascanius-shooting-the-stag-of-sylvia-141828.

IMAGES OBTAINED FROM

• https://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/digital-collection/01.%20Paintings/36956/!ut/p/z1/jZBNT8MwDIb_Cjv0SOx-pO24RUFijI1O04CQC8qmrg1qk6oNq8SvJyAuICj4Zunx68cGCQKkUSddKaetUY3vH2X6VDCWhjHHZcHpJbJiu6FbfnuFYQIPHwD-UgxB_md-ApDT8cu_FvgLon7N1xXITrn6XJujBYEhOdsobZw21QAiTuc09S7yW9r1TebTdnRRFPc84sknMO2j9y0ZDy1BQiOKYTxHzLMoS_L0XYaZfZx7mb48ln3Zk5fef7l2rhsuAgxwHEdSWVs1JTnYNsCfRmo7OBBfSejaO_G6WuAzbU4rNpu9AQBrDk8!/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/?lng=en
• https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1525759&partId=1
• https://www.theartstory.org/artist/lorrain-claude/artworks/
• https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/landscape-with-ascanius-shooting-the-stag-of-sylvia-141828