“The Pearl and the Wave” ( French: La Vague et la Perle ) is a painting by the French painter Paul Baudry , written in 1862 [2] . One of the most famous paintings depicting a naked woman, the time of the Second French Empire [3] .
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| Paul Baudry | ||
| The pearl and the wave . 1862 | ||
| La perle et la vague | ||
| Canvas, oil. 83.5 × 178 cm | ||
| Prado , Madrid | ||
| ( inv. ) | ||
Content
- 1 History
- 2 Description
- 3 Critical Evaluation
- 4 notes
- 5 Links
History
The painting was painted in 1862 and is one of the most famous paintings of Baudry of this period. In 1863, it was acquired by the Empress of France, Eugene de Montijo, for 20 thousand francs [4] . She became the second most expensive painting of the time [5] . Since 1904, the painting has been in the Madrid Prado Museum.
Description
The picture shows a naked woman lying on the edge of a rocky seashore, turning over her shoulder towards the viewer against the background of waves beating on the shore. May be an allusion to the myth of the birth of Venus .
The dark blue foamy wave carried a mighty splash ashore a charming woman, like a precious pearl. It seems that she has just woken up from a dream, sly wet eyes are smiling. She boldly protrudes the light head from under her thrown up arms and sips a gentle movement of the youthful slender, but full body. The beauties of Bouguereau and Cabanel seem to be wax, they are spoiled by artificial embellishments. Venus Baudry is completely alive - the individual beauty of the model has been preserved in her.
- [6]
Critics' rating
The picture aroused great interest of contemporaries [7] . She received commendable reviews from critics for their technicality and exceptional quality [8] . The American artist and writer Kenyon Cox called the picture "the most perfect naked picture of the XIX century" [2] . He described some of the features of the canvas as “grace of posture”, “round, but slender body”, “visible dimples on the shoulders”, “the aroma of fine lines and the charm of flowers”, hard but mysterious molding, “impeccability of the sensual surface”. All this, in his opinion, makes the picture a real masterpiece [2] [9] .
The art critic Bailey Van Hook regarded the painting as one example of a nude image, in which a woman is shown languidly reclining to satisfy a voyeuristic look [2] . French critic Jules-Antoine commented on the canvas so that, in his opinion, the woman in the picture can be "a Persian modist ... in ambush of a millionaire who has gone astray in this wild place" [10] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/online-gallery/on-line-gallery/obra/the-pearl-and-the-wave/
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Bailey Van Hook. Angels Of Art: Women And Art In American Society, 1876-1914 . - Penn State Press, 1 January 1996. - P. 45. - ISBN 978-0-271-02479-0 .
- ↑ Museo Nacional del Prado: On-line gallery
- ↑ Jane Turner. The Grove Dictionary of Art: From Monet to Cézanne: late 19th-century French artists . - Oxford University Press, 2000. - P. 18. - ISBN 978-0-312-22971-9 .
- ↑ Alison McQueen. Empress Eugénie and the Arts: Politics and Visual Culture in the Nineteenth Century . - Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., August 16, 2011 .-- P. 176. - ISBN 978-1-4094-0585-6 .
- ↑ R. Muter. The history of painting in the XIX century, translation by Z. Vengerova. - SPb., 1899 .-- S. 246.
- ↑ Nathalia Brodskaya. Manet . - Parkstone International, 2011. - P. 62. - ISBN 978-1-78042-029-5 .
- ↑ Hubert Damisch. Damisch / Goodman: Judgment of Paris . - University of Chicago Press, 15 June 1996. - P. 64. - ISBN 978-0-226-13510-6 .
- ↑ Kenyon Cox. Old Masters and New: Essays in Art Criticism . - Digital Antiquaria, 1 July 2004. - P. 104. - ISBN 978-1-58057-280-4 .
- ↑ Charles Bernheimer. Figures of Ill Repute: Representing Prostitution in Nineteenth-Century France . - Duke University Press, 22 May 1997. - P. 105. - ISBN 978-0-8223-1947-4 .