Sacred Flame: Meditative Mysticism in the Works of Georges de La Tour

Georges de La Tour is famous for his Mary Magdalene paintings, but he remains one of the most mysterious figures in 17th Century French art. In my thesis, I elaborate the ways in which La Tour\u27s unique painting style was impacted by Counter-Reformation meditation theology and contemporary French mystical literature. While La Tour\u27s artistic inspirations include Caravaggio, the Caravaggisti, and French and Lorrainese Mannerists, his late-career nocturne style is a striking departure from his early career, demonstrating an intense, reflective spirituality. In his use of light and flame to symbolize holiness, La Tour positions himself as spiritual intercessor to the viewer while drawing on the tradition of French mysticism, including Nostredame\u27s poetry on the Magdalene. La Tour\u27s career-long focus on the human form, through both genre and religious painting, elevates the everyday and the ordinary to the sacred