Valentin de Boulogne

In the years following Caravaggio’s death, the French-born painter Valentin de Boulogne (1591–1632) emerged as one of the greatest masters of naturalistic painting, demonstrating the influence of Caravaggio’s style and subject matter. This book, the first complete monograph of his work in English, features more than 50 lushly illustrated paintings by Valentin, as well as numerous comparative works that help situate his oeuvre. Essays by an international team of experts explore Valentin’s masterful depictions of everyday life as well as the tumult and violence of 17th-century Rome, where he lived and worked. This comprehensive survey brings to light a radical but under-recognized practitioner of realism whose powerful works prefigured the modernity of 19th-century artists such as Gustave Courbet.