NIGHT (LA NUIT)
Creator(s): William-Adolphe Bouguereau (Artist)
On view in: Coat Room
About this object
In the late nineteenth century, Bouguereau ranked among the most highly acclaimed artists in Paris. But with the radical development of impressionism, his style quickly fell out of favor. It was deemed by most to be too sentimental and contrived, and his handling of paint was characterized as overly finished. La Nuit was exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1883. Night, depicted as a partially nude woman floating over the seacoast, offers a light interpretation of an allegorical subject invested with a sensuality and carnality that would have appealed to male audiences.
Represents La Nuit, a partially nude woman with thin black material draped around her legs and over her head. She is floating in the air above the seacoast. The sky is lit above with stars, an owl and bats and grey near the earth.
- Object name:
- NIGHT (LA NUIT)
- Made from:
- Oil on canvas
- Made in:
- Paris, France
- Date made:
- 1883
- Size:
- Painting: 82 × 42 1/4 in. (208.3 × 107.3 cm) with Frame: 89 × 50 in. (226.1 × 127 cm)
Detailed information for this item
- Catalog number:
- 51.12
- Class:
- PAINTING
- Signature marks:
- SIGNATURE; DATE W.BOUGUEREAU 1883 lower left of painting
- Credit line:
- Bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973