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Saint Thomas by Georges de La Tour

Saint Thomas by Georges de La Tour

This is one of La Tour's 'daylight' masterpieces. The bold, simplified modelling is combined here with a psychological analysis of rare subtlety. The refined sable and slate-grey colouring distinguishes the work from the five other La Tours in the Louvre, where red predominate.

Details

Created
1630
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimension
54cm × 65cm
Passage
John 11:1-16
Housed at
National Museum of Western Art Ueno Park, Tokyo

Found in: John, John 11, 17th century, Thomas

John 11:1-16

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus from Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister, Martha.

2 It was that Mary who had anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother, Lazarus, was sick.

3 The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick.”

4 But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This sickness is not to death, but for the glory of God, that God’s Son may be glorified by it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

6 When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was.

7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.”

8 The disciples told him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and are you going there again?”

9 Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours of daylight? If a man walks in the day, he doesn’t stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

10 But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light isn’t in him.”

11 He said these things, and after that, he said to them, “Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep.”

12 The disciples therefore said, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.”

13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he spoke of taking rest in sleep.

14 So Jesus said to them plainly then, “Lazarus is dead.

15 I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe. Nevertheless, let’s go to him.”

16 Thomas therefore, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go also, that we may die with him.”

John 11:1-16 · World English Bible

The artist

Georges de La Tour

1593 - 1652

Vic-sur-Seille, Italy

Georges de La Tour (March 13, 1593 – January 30, 1652) was a French Baroque painter, who spent most of his working life in the Duchy of Lorraine, which was temporarily absorbed into France between 1641 and 1648. He painted mostly religious chiaroscuro scenes lit by candlelight.

Read more about Georges de La Tour →

Other artworks from Georges de La Tour

Joseph's Dream by Georges de La Tour
Georges de La Tour (Vic-sur-Seille, 1593 - 1652)
Matthew 1:18-25

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