"The exhibition's focus is on how de la Tour incorporated the trend of Caravaggesque chiaroscuro that swept Europe into his relatively austere genre compositions, lending them a uniquely intimate and spiritual quality. So many tonally dark scenes of isolated figures doing things far from grandiose - see titles like "A Woman Catching a Flea" (c. 1632-25) or "Boy Blowing on a Firebrand" (1646) -"
"would have benefited from the hushed reverence of the isolated, near-total darkness in which the Louvre displayed Marat in its David show a few blocks away. Persistent middling light and crammed displays not only inevitably result in dilution of effect, but also draw attention to the inconsistent condition of the pieces, making visible the irregular weave and other flaws. This is not to criticize curators Gail Feigenbaum and Pierre Curie - spatial or budgetary constraints are out of their control."
Georges de la Tour adapted Caravaggesque chiaroscuro into restrained genre scenes, producing intimate, spiritual portrayals of ordinary figures. Many works rely on near-total darkness to achieve a hushed, reverent atmosphere and heightened proximity between subject and viewer. The Musée Jacquemart-André occupies a former private Haussmann mansion with temporary displays in a confined, irregular appendix, concentrating paintings and visitors. Persistent middling light and cramped arrangements reduce the intended impact, expose condition inconsistencies such as irregular canvas weave, and create crowding during peak hours, which diminishes the aesthetic and emotional power of the darker, understated compositions.
Read at Hyperallergic
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