“Resting Girl” ( 1752 ) - painting by Francois Boucher .
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| Francois Boucher | ||
| Resting girl . 1752 | ||
| Ruhendes mädchen | ||
| Oil on canvas . 59 × 73 cm | ||
| Old Pinakothek , Munich | ||
| ( inv. ) | ||
Louise O'Murphy - Blonde Odalisque
The painting is one of the most famous paintings in the collection of the “Old Pinakothek” . This is one of the best works of Francois Boucher, who, being a court painter of Louis XV , depicted the life of that era, rich in sweets and joys.
The figure of a young girl is depicted in a very unusual and complex pose. The back of the sofa is uncomfortably high for such a position of the body and legs, so lovingly drowning in pillows, unable to support a curved body. Boucher masterfully solved this problem and very interestingly presented the movement and the few objects in the picture.
The sofa, curtain and wall are delicately olive in color and differ only in material; expensive dark pink silk cover, giving depth to the picture; a light blue silk ribbon woven into the girl’s hair and curled in her hands. Light blue and pink are the primary colors of the rococo .
The history of painting knows many plots with a naked female body. But in the old days they were part of some scene, for example, Danae , Venus and Cupid . Other characters, rooms or landscapes have always been part of the scene, while the woman has always remained a part of society, space. The girl depicted in the picture is completely deprived of communication with the outside world. It is absolutely alone, only the sofa is the only piece of furniture. Her gaze is nowhere, and her pretty face is lifeless.
The girl depicted in the picture is Louise O'Murphy , she was 15 years old at that time. She was one of the favorites of King Louis XV, who in 1753 ordered the construction of a country house near Versailles for her love pleasures. Louise O'Murphy was his first inhabitant. The favorites who lived in the house, after some time, were married or released home, having received good compensation.
O'Murphy's two sisters were also models of the artist. However, Louise was his favorite model after his wife. Her portrait by Boucher was decorated with a court gallery, where portraits of the first beauties of the times of Louis XV were presented.
A copy of the Boucher painting is in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne .
Interesting Facts
The painting " Dark-haired Odalisque " by Boucher is in the Louvre .
So mentions Louise O'Murphy in his memoirs Casanova :
| I gave six louis to one German artist so that he painted her from nude, and she came out alive. He depicted her lying on her stomach, resting her hands and chest on a pillow and holding his head as if lying on his back. A skillful artist drew her legs and hips so that the eye could not and desired more. Below I ordered to write: O-Morphi. The word is not from Homer, but completely Greek; it means Beauty. |