Candlelight made him unique
An important exhibition with many works by this not very prolific artist. As with all great works the original is far better than any photographic reproduction. Of course I find his penitent Magdalenes much more moving than his cheats playing cards or the fortune teller, the funny stories they tell put me off.
If he hadn’t tackled the seemingly insoluble problem of painting a picture by the light of a candle, a candle furthermore, that actually appears in the picture, he would still be a great painter, but not a unique one.
