Gentlemen's Club - Grande Odalisque

1814
Gentlemen’s Club
Courtesans and Seductresses Depicted in Art
Curated by Gabbi Fenaroli

Jean Auguste Ingres, Grande Odalisque, 1814

"Women are like tricks by sleight of hand,
Which, to admire, we should not understand"
- William Congreve

Revealing just enough to excite the viewer, but not enough to give it away. The Odalisque playfully glances back and acknowledges the viewers presence She remains unmoved by their entry though. The viewer attends to her schedule. Jean Auguste Ingres painted Grande Odalisque in 1814 for Napoleon’s sister Caroline Murat. Opposed to classic European influences, Ingres enjoyed the exotic. He places the odalisque in a sumptuous interior full of Middle Eastern influences. The peacock fan, the hookah and the turban all point to Ingres' fascination with orientalism. Many other nudes of the time incorporated mythology; however Ingres mythology and magic reside in a far away land.

The painting received criticisms over the anatomy of its subject. The woman’s back contains more vertebrae than in reality. Some suggest this was done purposely by Ingres to highlight the fact the odalisque has one use only. By adding more vertebrae, the pelvic area is highlighted. Her social role defines everything about her life. Her existence revolves around pleasing and pleasuring her master.

What separates Grande Odalisque, from different paintings of seduction, remains that nothing is shown. She turns away from the viewer into a secretive pose. Unlike Olympia who acknowledges her place in the space, Odalisque shies away from the gaze of the viewer. She appears sensuous, yet reserved, beckoning the viewer to engage her.

  • 8:00 AM

Member Dismemberment - Third of May

1814

Member Dismemberment
A Look at Limbs 
Curated by Kate Sims


Goya, Third of May, 1814
It is not often that a Christ-like figure appears in front of a bale of hay with a half-dozen bayonets shoved down his throat. As a commission for the provisional government of Spain, Goya’s Third of May explores the tragedy of Spanish slaughter by Napoleon’s armies coupled with commemoration for their strong resistance. The Christ figure, a nameless man holding his arms and stigmatised hands open as if he were nailed to the cross, willingly faces his murderers. As the only subject facing outward, this man shows a mournful compassion toward his killers while standing up and taking the blame for his companions. These efforts prove fruitless as his inevitable death looms as corpses stack up around him. His un-heroic positioning, an unheard of technique, overturns conventional “beauty of hero” stereotypes, and strengthens the overall impact of the piece.

The executioners, by contrast, have lost all human qualities as their arms transform into gun barrels. Their extension of arms, close shooting proximity, and anonymity represent the corruption and metamorphosis from human to beast. Their careless slaughter and lack of proper disposal undercut the humanity of the victims. Goya strove to and captured the horrific nature of war with a lone christ figure, standing up to take the blame for his community. The arm in Goya’s Third of May serve two roles, to depict a man as a Christ figure and transform men into machines of war.


  • 10:00 AM