Jean LeClerc (painter)

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This article is about the painter. For other people with this name, see Jean Leclerc.

Jean LeClerc (c. 1585, Nancy - 20 October 1633, Nancy) was a 17th century from the Duchy of Lorraine painter of the Baroque, or more specifically a "tenebrist". Only six authenticated paintings remain of Leclerc’s work, but numerous etchings and engravings have survived.

Leclerc studied with the Venetian master Carlo Saraceni in early 1600s. Le Clerc is known for his mastery of nocturnal light effects, and the luminosity of his scenes. His large (71 x 54 inches) Adoration of the Shepherds is a fine example of this technique. This biblical scene displays the translucent profiles of Mary and the shepherds admiring the baby Jesus.

[edit] References

• Myers, Bernard S. (1969) "Le Clerc, Jean (1587?-1633)" McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Art McGraw-Hill, New York;
• Gealt, Adelheid M. (1993) Painting of the Golden Age: a biographical dictionary of seventeenth-century European painters Greenwood Press, Westport, CT, ISBN 0-313-24310-7 ;
• Langmuir, Erika and Lynton, Norbert (2000) "LeClerc, Jean" The Yale Dictionary of Art and Artists Yale University Press, New Haven, CT;