This painting by the French artist Georges de la Tour (1593 – 1652) was made around 1638-40. De la Tour’s style reflects Caravaggio, an artist who used light in a very innovative way. He represented the light itself in the picture, and here de la Tour does the same thing. In this painting, the Magdalen is seated looking at a candle, and you see the shadows cast by that flame onto the figure and the environment. That which seems to us a very simple idea was a great innovation in the early part of the 17th century. Many artists following the example of Caravaggio in Italy did this, and the style was also adopted in other parts of Europe. De La Tour’s work is very rare. There are perhaps only 50 paintings known to be by him in the world. [Oil on canvas, 117 x 91.76 cm]