Claude Gellée, also called Claude Lorrain (1600-1682)
Seaport at Sunset, 1639
Oilon canvas. H. 103 ; l.137 cm / Paris, musée du Louvre, Paintings Department
© Photo Rmn-GP (musée du Louvre)
Seaport at Sunset (1639) by French Baroque painter Claude Lorrain shows his mastery in the painting of architecture...
Read more
Claude Gellée, also called Claude Lorrain (1600-1682)
Seaport at Sunset, 1639
Oilon canvas. H. 103 ; l.137 cm / Paris, musée du Louvre, Paintings Department
© Photo Rmn-GP (musée du Louvre)
Seaport at Sunset (1639) by French Baroque painter Claude Lorrain shows his mastery in the painting of architecture and the rendering of the fading light of the day. The recession from the foreground shore via the buildings on the left and the boats and ship on the right is even and measured, and serves to draw our eye towards the setting sun whose pinks and gold bathe the scene.
Lorrain spent most of his life working in Italy, mostly in the landscape genre. However, combined with his mastery of the portrayal of landscape, his inclusion of usually small biblical or mythological figures in these landscapes helped to elevate his classical pictures into the much more prestigious genre of history painting.
Close
