The Origin of the World (1866) - Gustave Courbet
Related: erotic art - Gustave Courbet - 1866
L'Origine du Monde/The Origin of the World (1866) - Gustave Courbet
Painted for a private collector, always hiddden from the public, lost for years, it was first shown to the public in 1995. It is typical of these type of paintings that they hung behind a curtain.
History
L’Origine du monde (The Origin of the World) is a painting by Gustave Courbet painted in 1866. It is an oil on canvas about 55 cm by 46 cm (21.7 by 18.1 inches), depicting the close-up view of the genitals and belly of a naked woman, lying on a bed and spreading her legs.
The framing of the scene, between the thighs and the chest, emphasizes the erotism of the work. Moreover, an erect nipple and the redness of the vaginal lips suggest that the model had just had a sexual encounter. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Origine_du_monde [Apr 2005]
The Origin of the World
by Christoph Doswald
In 1866 the Turkish diplomat Khalil-Bey, art lover and man of the world,
ordered a painting from Gustave Courbet that was to make history in a
number of ways. Called L'origine du monde, it showed the lower part of a
recumbent nude woman. The motif - probably commissioned by the collector
and
displayed in a guest toilet in his home, behind a discreet curtain - shifted
the limits of taboo in the world of art so radically that this painting,
which was lost for many years, has only been on view to the French public
for the last four years.1 Yet despite this odyssey of invisibility for over
a hundred years, L'origine du monde became a myth soon after its
completion. This was not only because of the offensive motif that was
discussed in the salons of Paris, but also because of its artistic
significance: its rigorous realism marked a turning point in the history
of
naturalist painting. Even Courbet's contemporaries commented that the
picture had spoken "the final word in realism. However, the artist,
who had
copied his model in a naturalist manner, had forgotten to render the feet,
the legs [...] and the head."2
1 For many years it was feared that the painting was lost for good. After
an odyssey through various private collections it was at the Budapest
Museum of Art until 1945, whereupon it was thought to be lost. It is
shown now at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris for four years.
--http://www.xcult.org/banz/texte/doswald_e.html [Sept 2004]
Masson - Lacan - Courbet
André Masson painted a wooden sliding door to hide Gustave Courbet's L'Origine du Monde, 1866.
The painting used to hang at Jacques Lacan's country house - in Guitrancourt, France.
Masson - Lacan - Courbet
Ce tableau a été probablement commandé par le diplomate turc du nom de Khalil Bey en 1866, qui comptera également dans son importante collection Le Bain Turc d'Ingres. Courbet peindra cette toile à l'âge de 37 ans. Le tableau sera accroché dans la salle de bain de son mécène, puis caché derrière un rideau pour le retirer de la vue de visiteurs importuns. On retrouvera l'oeuvre à Budapest, après la faillite du collectionneur accablé par des dettes de jeu, puis elle changera de propriétaire à plusieurs reprises avant d'intégrer l'appartement du psychanalyste Jacques Lacan. Ce dernier la placera dans un cadre à double fond et demandera à André Masson de peindre une oeuvre par-dessus la toile. Le musée d'Orsay héritera de l'Origine du monde en 1995.
Le roman de Christine Orban, publié chez Albin Michel en août 2000 sous le titre de "J'étais l'Origine du monde", indique que le modèle serait la maîtresse de Whistler puis de Courbet. La réalisation du tableau, en 1866, interviendra dans une période de grande rigueur morale et éthique. Le Baiser de Rodin sera alors jugé indécent car, de l'avis de Paul Claudel, l'homme y est littéralement attablé à la femme, Rodin confondant érotisme et gastronomie.
Le caractère insolent du tableau est renforcé le cadrage du modèle, qui le réduit à la partie comprise entre les seins et le bas des cuisses. Le bout de l'un sein en érection et les lèvres rouges témoignent de l'activité du modèle dans les instants qui ont précédé. L'artiste, qui a osé ainsi montrer le désir et l'excitation, a réalisé une oeuvre quasi pornographique aux yeux de ses contemporains. --http://www.insecula.com/oeuvre/O0013566.html [Sept 2004]