Art Of The Day Weekly

Vermeer leads the way

The Louvre museum opens the year grandly with two major simultaneous exhibits, both running from 22 February to 22 May. The one the media have most focused on is probably the one dedicated to Vermeer, the painter of 36 paintings, the one who was adored by Proust -as well as Goering- and who gave way to the most absurd series of forgeries by Van Meegeren. The nearly 12 works shown, which would be considered a sample if they were by any other artist, represent a true feat. But amateurs are just as excited by the other exhibit, that of Valentin de Boulogne, the French artist - with Georges de La Tour - most influenced by Caravaggio. The latter took all the glory. The two artists of the XVIIth century were hardly forty years old when they died, as was Sinibaldo Scorza, one of the members of the rich baroque school of Genoa, who excelled in mythological scenes and colorful animals (Palazzo Meridiana in Genoa, from 10 February to 4 June 2017).