"The Origin of the World" - Courbet's picture, scandalous and shocking. She had a very restless fate, changing owners, and for a long time did not exhibit.
Plot
It’s worth starting with it, because it is all about it. Already one name sounds provocative: Being, or the Origin of the world, or just sex. That is what the artist suggested to look at. The faceless torso of an anonymous woman with a sacrilegiously open pubis and vulva is depicted. Even today, the picture inevitably continues to bother the viewer. And morally, and aesthetically, and politically. People in front of the picture are embarrassed. After all, the work is executed in full size. And her gross sensuality is extremely strong. However, the subtle roundness of the abdomen indicates the emergence of a new life. That is, the artist tried to mix viciousness and fertility.
Courbet shocked society in the 19th century. The canvas continues to cause negative reactions to this day. The artist shows reality without embellishment, such as it is. This is the pose of a woman in sex. But he does not allow her to be identified without drawing her head. That is, this is a collective image of a woman on a dark background and a white sheet. In addition to the pubis and slightly open nipple, there’s nothing more to watch. This is shocking, annoying and disgusting.
Estimated Models
The artist deliberately hid the woman's face, creating a generalized image. But it was assumed that it was written and then cut off.
However, later research rejected this view. When Courbet painted, his constant model was Joanna Hiffernan. There is quite a decent portrait of her painting by Courbet, which is located in the United States.
But she was the beloved student of Courbet. He abruptly ceased all relations with the artist after the appearance of this impudent canvas. This is how the pupil of Courbet himself portrayed her.
As "Symphony in White No. 1" or as "Girl in White." If you take the model as an example, then the "Origin of the World" (Courbet's picture) will be truly blasphemous and disgusting, which, in general, actually is. There is another alleged model - Countess Luanet.
But this also does not have accurate evidence. In this regard, The Origin of the World, Courbet's picture, is very mysterious.
The owners
The life of the canvas was winding. Its first owner in 1866 was a Turkish diplomat who hung it in the bathroom, hiding behind a green curtain. In 1868, "The Origin of the World" (Courbet's painting) enters the gallery, or rather, the antique shop of Mr. Narde. Presumably from 1912 to 1913 she changes owners (Bernheim) and, finally, ends up in Hungary with Mr. Hatvani. He, too, is hidden from prying eyes. But during the Second World War, its traces disappear.
In 1955, The Origin of the World (Courbet's picture) pops up in the house of psychoanalyst Jacques Lokan. The previous owner is unknown. There she is also kept secretly. On top of it is hung another canvas. From 1981 to 1995, negotiations are underway to purchase the canvas and transfer it to the Orsay Museum in France, where it is still under bulletproof glass to this day.
Style direction
Courbet began to work, denying academicism in painting. Having passed the period of realism, he moved on to that direction in literature and painting, which is called naturalism. The brightest representatives of this trend in literature were Emil Zola and the brothers E. and J. Goncourt. They were contemporaries of Courbet. In accordance with their ideas, under the influence of Spencer's works, the picture “The Origin of the World” comprehends life. Gustave Courbet cancels all taboo concepts, causing an explosion of indignation.
Maxim Du Camp, writer, poet and critic, was indignant even fifteen years later: “This is a worthy illustration of the works of the Marquis de Sade.” Such emotions were caused by the picture "The Origin of the World" (1866). Courbet Gustave quite consciously worked in this direction in an impartial depiction of the physiological manifestations of human relationships ("Sleeping", "Turkish Bath"). Courbet, as a naturalist artist, seeks to turn a person inside out, find in him something that he does not suspect, peek at him in the keyhole, and examine under a microscope. It is this difference that exists between healthy realism, which causes sympathy, and healthy, albeit not always joyful, emotions, and naturalism, which shows too much attention to physiology. Thus, Courbet, through his work, led to the later sexual revolution. But the task that he set for himself - the accuracy of the image - is now carried out by the camera. Apparently, he himself considered, receiving scandal after scandal, he took place as an artist. But Courbet received neither contemporaries' recognition nor money.
Who cares for Courbet
In poverty, Courbet died. The Origin of the World is a picture for a narrow circle of admirers. It is organic for the concept of naturalism (sexual intercourse, childbirth). She will not attract the attention of a person who thinks about the main issues - about why we live and what will happen next. But these questions must be asked at least once in a lifetime by every person.