Venus Anadyomene (1848) by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Venus Anadyomene - Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres - 1848

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Artwork Information

TitleVenus Anadyomene
ArtistJean Auguste Dominique Ingres
Date1848
Mediumoil,canvas
Dimensions163 x 92 cm
Art MovementNeoclassicism
Current LocationMusée Condé, Chantilly, France

About Venus Anadyomene

The artwork “Venus Anadyomene” is a creation of Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, dating back to 1848. This oil on canvas measures 163 by 92 cm and belongs to the Neoclassicism movement. It is a mythological painting, housed in the Musée Condé in Chantilly, France. The artwork is noted for its depiction of classical themes with a romantic expression, characteristic of Ingres’s style which blends the linear precision of Neoclassicism with a sensuousness that anticipates Romanticism.

The artwork presents the figure of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, emerging from the sea, an iconography known as “Venus Anadyomene,” which translates to “Venus Rising From the Sea.” Ingres portrays Venus in a frontal pose, standing on a shell, with idealized proportions and softly modeled flesh that exemplifies the Neoclassical predilection for beauty and purity in form. Her left hand lifts her sumptuous golden hair, while her right hand holds it at her thigh, a pose that draws attention to her femininity and the fluidity of her form.

Surrounding Venus are several putti, or cherubic figures, engaged in various activities related to the goddess. Some attend to her, blowing conch shells or basking in her beauty, while others seem absorbed in their own interactions. These figures enhance the divine and otherworldly atmosphere of the painting, embedding the central goddess within a narrative of adoration and mythological splendor.

The composition is framed within an arched or oval shape, which focuses the viewer’s attention on Venus herself, and the soft, graduated lighting accentuates her curvilinear form against the darker, more subdued background. The color palette is dominated by the flesh tones of Venus and the putti, along with subtle blues and greys that set the scene in a place that is both of this world and beyond it, evoking the ethereal domain of the gods. Ingres’s technique ensures a smooth surface texture and a meticulous attention to detail, both hallmarks of his masterful hand.

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