Artwork
Odalisque
Odalisque is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. It dates from 1825 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Jean‑Auguste‑Dominique Ingres produced the lithograph titled *Odalisque* in 1825. Executed on wove paper, the print presents a reclining nude figure rendered with the precise line work characteristic of Ingres’s practice. The composition balances a modest interior setting with an emphasis on the model’s form.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a partially clothed woman, her head covered by a light scarf and a bracelet visible on her right wrist. She lies on a richly upholstered couch, her left hand resting on her thigh while the right arm extends behind her, creating a relaxed, sideways pose that invites the viewer’s gaze.
Technique & Style
Ingres employs the lithographic medium to achieve delicate tonal variations, using fine hatching to suggest the texture of skin and fabric. The drawing reflects his neoclassical training yet hints at a personal departure from strict academic conventions, particularly in the subtle elongation of the figure’s proportions.
History & Provenance
Created shortly after Ingres’s early successes as a portraitist, the print illustrates his ongoing interest in historical and exotic subjects. While primarily known for oil paintings, this work demonstrates his willingness to explore printmaking as a means of disseminating his stylistic experiments.
Context
The image aligns with early‑19th‑century Orientalist trends, where Western artists depicted imagined Eastern interiors and figures. Ingres’s *Odalisque* situates the nude within a domestic, almost decorative setting, reflecting contemporary fascination with exotic motifs while maintaining a disciplined compositional structure.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was a French Neoclassical painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic orthodoxy against the ascendant Romantic…
