Woman with a Parrot
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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La Femme au perroquet[1] (Woman with a Parrot) is an oil painting on canvas by French artist Gustave Courbet. It was the first nude (art) by the artist to be accepted by the Paris Salon in 1866 after a previous entry in 1864 was rejected as indecent.
When this painting was shown in the Salon of 1866, critics censured Courbet's lack of taste as well as his model's ungainly pose and disheveled hair. Clearly, Courbet's woman was perceived as provocative. The picture, however, was admired by contemporary artists: Cézanne seems to have carried a small photograph of it in his wallet, and in 1866 Manet began his version of the subject, Young Lady in 1866 (Woman with a Parrot).
Description
The painting shows a woman reclining on her back, with a pet parrot alighting on an outstretched hand. While painted in a style to gain Academy acceptance in its pose and smooth flesh tones, the model's discarded clothes and disheveled hair were controversial, although less so than Le Sommeil, painted the same year. Joanna Hiffernan likely posed for both paintings, as she did for others by Courbet.
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