Claude Lorrain--the Painter as Draftsman

Book excerpt: The great French artist Claude Lorrain (1600-1682)--for whom drawing was an integral part of the artistic process--spent most of his career in Italy, where he documented the beauty of the landscape and the splendor of classical ruins. This richly illustrated book examines the wide-ranging role the medium played throughout Claude's career. The book presents some of Claude’s most remarkable drawings, representing all aspects of his style and subject matter--from informal outdoor sketches of trees, rivers, and ruins to formal presentation drawings and elaborate compositional designs for paintings, many of which have never before been reproduced in color. A detailed and scholarly essay places them within the social and cultural contexts of their time and includes comparative illustrations of paintings and etchings to situate them within the artist's oeuvre. A selection of works from the Liber Veritatis (Book of Truth), a portfolio of highly finished drawings that the artist created to document his own painted compositions, is also included.