Claude Lorrain

Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682) transformed landscape painting from mere background into the main subject of art. Born Claude Gellée in the village of Chamagne in the independent Duchy of Lorraine, he was orphaned around age twelve and eventually traveled to Rome. According to his first biographer, Claude trained as a pastrycook before studying painting under Agostino Tassi, a landscapist who specialized in illusionistic architecture. He spent about two years in Naples with Goffredo Wals, then briefly returned to his homeland before settling permanently in Rome by 1627, where he became part of the Baroque movement's Roman circle.

Claude's golden, light-filled landscapes idealized the Roman countryside, framing classical ruins and small figures within harbors, groves, and valleys bathed in atmospheric sunlight. He was among the first painters to depict the sun itself shining directly into the picture. By 1633 he had joined the Accademia di San Luca, and to protect against forgeries he began recording his compositions in the Liber Veritatis (Book of Truth), a visual catalogue of nearly every painting he made.

Though now considered French, Claude spent his entire career in Italy and was regarded during his lifetime as part of the Roman School. John Constable called him "the most perfect landscape painter the world ever saw." The National Gallery in London holds major works including Landscape with the Marriage of Isaac and Rebecca. The Louvre in Paris and Museo del Prado in Madrid also preserve significant collections.