Grande Odalisque Figure of Contrasts
by Sharon Himes

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres was fascinated by the cloistered sensuality and exoticism of a near eastern harem. An Odalisque is a female slave of the harem, in Turkish she is literally a 'maid of the chamber'. She is a pampered and indolent woman of pleasure whose life is removed from that of ordinary women.

In Ingres' painting she reclines in luxurious satins, silks and feathers with a discarded jeweled belt and a smoking pipe. The Odalisque is a study in opposites: The Oriental langour of her reclining pose is in opposition to her actual position. She appears relaxed but the position would be difficult to maintain comfortably. Her soft, warm skin tones are contrasted with the oppulent silk patterns in cool colors. She is looking toward the viewer yet she is turned away.

The critics at the Salon of 1819 disapproved of the figure. They complained that she seemed to have extra verebrae in her back and that her arm had no specific elbow. The figure is not quite correct and yet this abstraction gives the Odalisque a fluid quality that would otherwise not be possible. Ingres put great attention to the textures and an almost photographic realisim to the fur, velvet and satin. As a result of his efforts, the viewer is deceived by the objectivity of the surroundings to believe in the reality of the subject.

The Grande Odalisque (1814) was commissioned by Napoleon's sister, Queen Caroline of Naples. Ingres was known as an artist who renered a wide variety of themes, from historical scenes to portraits. As one of the great Romantic artists he was interested in art history and in exotic cultures. He often used ancient classical sculptures as source materials for his figures, accentuating the countours. He stressed the importance of line as from Greek art and works by Raphael. He painted several 'Odalisque' paintings but the most famous is the Grande Odalisque.