The Classical Landscapes of Claude Lorrain

The 17th century artist had a particular way of combining mythological themes with Italianate landscapes

Claude Gelée (c. 1604/5 to 1682) acquired the name Lorrain from his birthplace in eastern France, although he spent virtually all his life after 1627 in Rome. He specialised in landscape painting, being fascinated by the scenery and ruins in the countryside surrounding Rome and also being inspired by the quality of light in that part of Italy. He developed a means of including the sun as the direct source of light in his paintings, thus sending foreground and middle-distance objects into sharp relief. His method of composition was to use sketchbooks on his many trips into the countryside and to build his studio paintings around these sketches, many of which were highly detailed.

Claude introduced classical themes into his paintings from the late 1630s onwards, by painting figures from mythology or the Bible to add focus or emotional force to his landscapes. They were therefore additions to landscapes, as opposed to being direct portrayals of mythical stories set against a natural background.

However, his style gradually developed towards a more idealized view of nature and his choice of subject matter also showed a growing empathy with the ancient…