jimmy2469

I was in the Louvre during the summer of 2006 and saw a painting that I really liked but cannot remember the artist. The painting was larger then average in size. The basic concept was of a night scene, meaning the entire canvas was black exceot those points in the painting where light sources were present (a technique I believe is called chiaroscuro). The scene appears to be around the 1700s and depicts a street running from the bottom of the painting to the top with a slight tilt to the right. On the left of the street is a tavern with the wall cut away so you can see into the tavern. Over a table in front is a lamp that reveals 4 or 5 people talking around the table. Farther back into the tavern is another lamp revealing more detail. Out on the street is a few street lamps that reveal more detail under them. On the right side of the road is a long building that seems to be a hotel or apartment building of several stories. There is lights on in several windows that reveal details inside those rooms.
I have searched the Louvre site and this painting is not in any of their databases that I can find. I have not gone to my local library yet. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Unregistered

i went to the louvre this past summer and there are so many paintings that even if you had a picture of it, it would be hard to identify. i was there for like 5-6 hours, all day, and i barely made a dent in looking at everything, plus they replace all of the art every few weeks. they have an insane amount. good luck though, lol you're going to need it.

Unregistered

very tough question. stab in the dark, i'd wonder if you had perhaps been in the hogarth special exhibit that was showing in the summer of 2006, and were thinking of his painting "night scene"?
my advice would be, try to narrow it down in terms of style: does it more closely resemble a dutch painting of the 17th century, or did it appear distincly french, say like something by the Le Nain brothers?
best of luck in your search...

b. smart

jimmy2469

I am not much of an art person, my experience being the two required art classes in college. I did talk to a very kind lady at the Art Institute of Chicago who said, from the description the painting seemed to use chiaroscuro. The scene impressed me as being French revolution time frame but as for artist style, I am afraid I would only be guessing.