As you may know, I'm in the habit of putting paintings on here more or less every week. It all started with Women Reading, segued into Women Writing, and now, though I do stick with those categories quite often, sometimes a painting catches my eye and I just feel like sharing it with you. A few days ago I saw this on my favorite site for such things, Old Paint and was so intrigued by it I had to post it here.
This is 'La Courtisane' (The Courtesan) by Thomas Couture (1815-1879), a French artist who is best known for his history paintings. His most famous one is 'Romans During the Decadence', which hangs in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. This apparently caused a sensation when it was first shown at the 1847 Salon in Paris, and you can see why, as it depicts a lot of naked people taking part in an orgy. You can see it here, if that's your sort of thing. The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists has no time for that one at all, saying it is often cited as the classic example of the worst type of bombastic academic painting, impeccable in every detail and totally false in overall effect.
But what about The Courtesan, I hear you say? Well, in the limited time I have given to this, I have not found any information about it at all, apart from the fact that it too is in the Musee d'Orsay (note to self -- must go there next time I am in Paris). It seems to depict a wedding procession, with musicians, and possibly the groom, walking blithely down the road, unaware of the fact that behind them, the young bride is being viciously attacked by a scary lady in black, who I take to be the husband's discarded mistress. Perhaps it's based on a story or a real event? Who knows.
Next week , back to cosier subjects, I promise.
