Claude Lorrain Art

Claude Lorrain, born Claude Gellée, was the most perfect landscape painter the world has ever known. He was born in 1604 or 1605 in the town of Chamagne in Lorraine. He was one of five children. Claude was orphaned at the age of 12 after which he went to live with his elder brother at Freiburg. He later went to Rome to seek livelihood then to Naples where he lived for two years apprenticing under Goffredo Wals. In April 1625, he returned to Rome and was apprenticed to Augustine Tassi. Claude Lorrain was able to tour in Germany, Italy, and France including his native Lorraine. He was kept for a year as an assistant by Claude Deruet, a painter to the duke of Lorraine, and at Nancy, Claude painted architectural subjects on the ceiling of the Carmelite church. While in Rome, he earned the patronage of Pope Urban VIII on account of two landscapes he made for Cardinal Bentivoglio. From 1637 onwards, Claude rapidly achieved fame as a painter of seascapes and landscapes. Lorrain was prescient in the matter of the importance of landscape. He did not depict uninhabited panoramas but instead painted valleys and a pastoral world of fields not distant from towns and castles. His pictures include saints, heroes and demigods. His sketchbooks and drawings prove that he was more inclined towards scenography. Claude is reported to have often engaged other artists to paint the figures for him. He engaged artists such as Filippo Lauri and Courtois. To date, laminated, canvas, and framed Claude Lorrain art are found in diverse galleries. Most of the galleries provide these artistic works properly finished and ready for installation in room interiors or any other desired settings.