Claude Lorrain

Claude Lorrain was a French painter and draftsman who left a lasting impression on the art world with his grand landscapes created in the Baroque style. Lorrain was inspired by artists like his predecessor, Annibale Carracci, as well as his own contemporary, and friend, Nicolas Poussin. Like these idealistic painters, Lorrain’s own works were perfect examples of the ideal landscape—rooted in the style of naturalism, but heavily beautified and idealized. Lorrain spent the majority of his career in Italy, where he was strongly influenced by its classical history and architecture, of which he incorporated into his own vast landscapes with the presence of ancient ruins and toga wearing figures. Lorrain often strayed away from depicting the harsh reality of the world, and instead highlighted an ideal image of nature and humanity as it should be.