Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres was born on August 28th. 1780. He became one of Jacques-Louis David’s most celebrated and successful pupils. During Ingres clip working with David. and finally turning off from him. he became a portion of the Neo-Classicism motion ; go forthing behind. but non burying the Romanticism methods. Neo-Classicism is the eighteenth century Restoration of tradition rules which lead Ingres to be one of the most celebrated draughtsmans. Ingres was an highly precise and gifted adult male of his clip and was most celebrated for his portrayals ; particularly his portrayals of female nudes. In the twelvemonth 1814. Ingres created one of his most celebrated chef-d’oeuvres. La Grande Odalisque. It was created in Paris and still remains there in the museum by the name of The Musee du Loure. The picture is well-known for its topic of phantasy and erotism ; she was a inactive. cryptic and an unknown being to the Western universe. which made her audience long for replies.
Throughout Ingres life he created many pieces of work. In his well in front old ages. Ingres continued to paint and surprise his cynics. He finally ended up on top. being viewed as “one of the greatest life creative persons in France” during that clip. ( Rifkin 15 ) He left behind many fans but no learners to transport on the Neoclassicism heritage. Ingres painted many historical. fabulous. and spiritual topics ; nevertheless. he is likely most respected for his portrayals and female nudes. Ingres’s manner high spots adept formations. along with smoothly painted surfaces. and really thorough drawings. “In 1814. he created one of his many celebrated chef-d’oeuvres. Grande Odalisque. It is 91 centimeter in tallness and 162 centimeter in length ( 35. 8 ? 63. 8 in ) . ” ( Peirce 50 ) It is an oil picture on canvas. with a topic of pretense and gender. The picture was commissioned by Queen Caroline Murat of Naples. Napoleon’s sister. It was painted in the Neoclassicism motion in Paris. along with many of his other plants.
This one in peculiar is of a bare female. who transpires to be an odalisque. “An odalisque was a female slave in an Ottoman harem. particularly the Imperial Harem of the grand Turk. ” ( Peirce 54 ) La Grande Odalisque was formed by Ingres utilizing some of David’s thoughts and making a female nude. in a bizarre and unfamiliar manner. To the Western universe she was nil like they’d of all time seen before. which caused confusion but a desire to desire to cognize everything about her ; “In the head of an early nineteenth century French male spectator. the kind of individual for whom this image was made. the odalisque would hold conjured up non merely a hareem slave. itself a misconception. but a set Forth frights and desires. ” ( Shelton 75 ) This was chiefly because of the manner in which Europe considered Islamic Asia ; they viewed the people at that place as unique. waste and careless. To perceivers she was located in an about pretend universe. much like how Western civilization viewed the Eastern side of the universe ; fantasized.
At the clip it was black for its physical inappropriateness ; in particular. “the bare female was thought to hold three lumbar vertebrae excessively many” . ( Shelton 78 ) It was an sentiment stressed by art critics. but was ne’er challenged or proven. When it had eventually been studied. they found something out of the regular. “we measured the length of the dorsum and of the pelvic girdle in human theoretical accounts. expressed the mean values in footings of caput tallness. and transferred them to the picture. ” ( Peirce 81 ) The disproof was found to be greater than what had been presumed originally ; “La Grande Odalisque had five. instead than three. farther lumbar vertebrae” ( Peirce 81 ) . Basically. she is structurally impossible ; her airs is one that would be impossible to mime. Since Ingres combined reason and pragmatism into his pictures some critics believe the distortion may possibly be on intent and base for an emotional motivation.
The manner in which the woman’s caput is placed and how it the distance it is off from her pelvic girdle suggests. “the creative person may hold been taging the gulf between her ideas and her societal role” ( Shelton 79 ) The face of the adult female is where the observer’s eyes are drawn. Her look is secluded. care-free and cryptic ; giving her an about secret filled feel about her. Her function as a hareem is non to believe of feeling ; she is at that place merely for the intent of pleasance. “This subject is consistent with the function of adult females in the nineteenth-century positions on female gender functions — “public adult females. ” i. e. . cocottes. fulfilled a vitally of import societal function as depositories of male sexual desire. ” ( Siegfried. Rifkin. Willey 34 ) Her regard pulls viewing audiences into her unknown universe ; gaining controls and traps. The chief ground for her being is to wait upon a adult male. but non merely any adult male ; her hubby.
With cognizing that her hubby is the lone adult male to of all time see her in this province. the spectator is pulled in and cognizing they will ne’er be able to see her. “she was portion of the sultan hareem. she was at that place to fulfill the animal pleasances of the grand Turk. contemn what she may experience or desire. She reflects a woman?s deep ideas. complex emotions and feelings. ” ( Peirce 48 ) Her regard tortures the spectator into looking and makes it hard to look off. This piece is full of sensualness. enigma and romanticism. The adult female is surrounded by a dark background ; black with many different sunglassess of blue. Her and her organic structure are truly the lone facet of the painting keeping any light colorss.
With this. she stand out to the spectator ; doing her more contact than of all time. Even with her imperfectnesss she is blessed with unflawed tegument. shoulders. legs. weaponries and custodies. The points nearby her. the Inachis io fan. the turban. and the pearls suggest an unfamiliar topographic point ; an alien topographic point. At her pess lies a narghile. which may come to the viewing audiences as a daze ; it’s non for baccy but instead opium. The hareem may come off to perceivers as irrational. inactive and drugged. which creates more desire to cognize what she’s approximately. Is she offering it. or is she merely high? That is a inquiry that will ne’er be answered. a inquiry that keeps the viewers’ attending.
La Grande Odalisque is what Western society believes a hareem would look like. She is of the unknown but in a manner that it becomes familiar. Since this is what the Western portion of the universe imagines and fantasizes about Islamic Asia. it makes them believe they are superior to what’s in forepart of them. Ingres conveyed his topic of wants and desires by painting La Grande Odalisque. and holding the Western portion of the universe position it ; you want what you can’t have. That is one manner in looking at it. another is: “Some art historiographers have suggested that colonial political relations besides played a function. ” ( Shelton 81 ) Either manner. Ingres combined what was go oning to the universe around him. two topographic points so unfamiliar clashing together. with what the Western universe wanted to see ; what is really go oning is a wholly different narrative than what one wants to believe is go oning.
La Grande Odalisque is recognized for its topic of desire for the unknown ; her regard. her airs. and the inferior. yet alien. points environing her are what makes her so unbelievable to what people consider the norm. She has lacks but her overall visual aspect is perfect ; she is nil like her perceivers. which makes her that much more wanted ; it’s a struggle between La Grande Odalisque and the spectator. Society. even today. is scared of the unfamiliar. We take state of affairss. events and even the small parts in life that we are diffident of and turn it into something that can be confronted. even if it’s non world ; it’s what human existences do to experience safe from what we consider the abnormal. What makes this painting so alone is that people critique the manner in which viewing audiences see her. alternatively of the manner she sees us ; she is an innocent with us. as we are with her.
