The sleepers - indolence and lust
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Le Sommeil ("The Sleepers - Indolence and Lust") |
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| Gustave Courbet , 1866 |
| Oil on canvas |
| 135 × 200 cm |
| Petit Palais , Paris |
The Sleepers - Indolence and Lust (original French Le Sommeil , German Sleep ) is a painting by the French artist Gustave Courbet . It was created in 1866 and has been part of the Musee du Petit-Palais in Paris since 1953 . The oil painting measures 135 × 200 cm.
Image description
You can see two unclothed young women sleeping on a bed without a blanket. To the left of the bed is an ornate side table with three fine glassware: a perfume bottle, a carafe and a glass. The walls of the room are a deep dark blue. On the wall behind the bed is another table, this one with a flower vase. A deep blue fabric canopy is draped over the headboard of the bed, the sheets and covers are white, the mattress dark red. Next to the women are a pearl necklace and a gold clasp. The woman in front lies on her back with her right leg above the other's hip. She has long, deep brown hair. Her right arm is next to her, the corresponding hand pulls the sheet up slightly, the other arm cannot be seen as it is hugging the other woman. She has long, curly, red-blonde hair and a slightly lighter complexion. She lies facing the dark-haired woman on her left side, her left arm lies lightly on the leg of her neighbor, with the other arm in arm with her.
meaning
The painting was considered extremely scandalous in its time due to the erotic scene depicted between two women. Although most of the pubic areas are covered, the women's nipples can be seen very clearly. The red-haired woman is probably Courbet's muse Joanna Hifferan , the dark-haired woman is possibly the one who also served as the model for the painting The Origin of the World . Even if the rumpled bed sheet could allude to a sexual act, the focus is on the beauty of the female body. Due to the snuggling position of the red-haired woman, it can be assumed that she is about “indolence”, while the provocative, engaging pose of the brunettes is the personification of “lust”. These surnames came about through the German painting names. Literally translated, “Le Sommeil” simply means “sleep”.
Web links
- Le Sommeil on the Petit Palais website, accessed May 31, 2018
