C

In his lifetime La Tour must have been one of the most admired painters, who was on close terms with courts in Lorraine and Paris and became the King’s Painter to Louis XIII in 1639. However, not many of his works survived. These can be divided into his early “day pieces”, and the later “night pieces”. His sometimes direct realism and unflattering(不恭维的) presentation of the miserable subjects does not at all mean a sympathetic attitude to the socially disadvantaged of the day, on the contrary, issues of this kind were intended to amuse high society, who enjoyed decorating the walls of their homes with such melodramatic scenes. La Tour, affected by Caravaggio, painted various scenes of gambling. In Cheater with the Ace of Diamonds, an inexperienced, wealthy and well- dressed young man is being cheated at cards in the dishonest company of a courtesan (交际花) with her lover and a servant girl. Wine and the promise of love adventure have made the young dandy (好打扮的男人) so light- headed that he does not notice the apparent trick of an ace being drawn from his opponent’s belt.

Most of the paintings by La Tour we have at our disposal the art historians date after 1640. In these works La Tour is captivated with lightning effects which create sharp outlines. This fascination with light brought him great success in his day. However, he was completely forgotten after his death, only to be rediscovered in our own day. La Tour is an example of how artists can pass in and out of favor of the public.