In the Studio
This scene of an artist’s studio is emblematic of Stevens’s reputation as a painter of alluring women. On the easel is a painting in progress reminiscent of his own depiction of the Biblical temptress Salomé (Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels). The protagonists of In the Studio pose a counterpoint to the male-dominated French art world. For much of the century, moralistic attitudes prevented women from studying nude models, making it almost impossible for them to undertake ambitious figural subjects. Stevens, however, encouraged the careers of several women, notably the sculptor and actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844–1923).
Stevens’s Salomé was inspired by Henri Regnault’s painting of the same subject (now in gallery 804).
Artwork Details
- Title: In the Studio
- Artist: Alfred Stevens (Belgian, Brussels 1823–1906 Paris)
- Date: 1888
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 42 x 53 1/2 in. (106.7 x 135.9 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1986
- Object Number: 1986.339.2
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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