Saturday, August 02, 2008
RANDOM E BRITANICA POST
CLAUDE OF LORRAINE/GELEE, CLAUDE- 1600-1682 celebrated landscape painter. b very poor. no progress in school, apprenticed to a pastry cook(but unlikely, a fable) at 12 an orphan, went to live w/older brother, jean gelee, a wood carver + under him, he designed arabesques + foliage, went off to rome for work, but his clownishness + unable to speak italian, no work. then to naples, to study under Gdfrey Waals for 2 years + then back to ROME W/ ANOTHER ARTIST, augustin assi, who hired him to grind pigment + housework. also taught him art theory + claude developed + devoted himself to art studied from nature. left tassi + TRAveled about, karl dervent kept him a year(painting duke) in 1627 returned to rome. got work for cardinals + the pope + gained celebrity. very anal. would alter, erase + repaint over and over til what he wanted. his skies very good. not good at people. his favorite in villa madama-esther + ahasiarus. did etchings(compares him to turner).
