The Odalisque Figure, also known as the La Grande Odalisque, is an oil painting that was created in 1814 by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (Zygmont). The painting features an odalisque, or concubine. A concubine is essentially a mistress; she is a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife (Google Definitions, concubine). In this painting, the pale odalisque lies on a bed with nothing on but a head piece and some jewelry. Her body is turned around in a way that she is turned away from the viewer but her head is peeked over her shoulder to look towards the viewer. Ingres’ painting was unique for his time as the anatomy of the odalisque was distorted. Ingres’ unique use of silhouette, form, contrast, and balance in the La Grande Odalisque features a distorted image of a female body that reveals Ingres’ idealization of the female body.
First and foremost, Ingres’ use of sinuous lines defines the organic form of the painting. The odalisque is painted with curvy features using sinuous lines. For example, her back is elongated and curved into her laying position which gives her an elegant and seductive form. At the same time, this exaggeration of the back, makes her seem unrealistic. In this sense, this woman in the painting is not
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The odalisque is painted in warm colors which allows Ingres’ to display the woman’s curvy and ideal features. On the other hand, the elements of the composition are all cool colors to contrast with her warm pale skin. The bed and curtains are all in a darker shade of blue while the wall behind the curtains are completely black. The odalisque is extremely pale skinned; therefore, the light tones of her skin intensifies against the black wall. These contrasts in colors brings the odalisque and her features forward while silencing the background allowing her to stand out to the