Georges de La Tour and His World

Like his contemporary, Caravaggio (represented here by one picture), Georges de La Tour is best known for his dramatic use of chiaroscuro, particularly for his Nocturnes, in which a single candle lights a figure. This year, an exhibition currently at the National Gallery of Art through January 5, 1997, gathers nearly 50 pictures by the artist and his contemporaries under the rubric Georges de La Tour and His World. The accompanying catalogue, edited by Philip Conisbee, looks at de La Tour's development, influence, his subject matter and the northern Caravaggisti, through essays and 178 illustrations (95 in color).