This painting is a copy of one of Ingres's most celebrated productions, the famous Grande Odalisque in the Louvre. It is executed exclusively in shades of grey, save for the slight blush of color most noticeable along the back and the right ear of the figure. Ingres made a number of much-publicized pronouncements about the relevant insignificance of color, and here he puts his words to practice. 

When the original painting in the Louvre was exhibited at the Salon in 1819, it elicited nothing but hostility from the critics, who were scandalized by what they considered to be the figure's outrageous anatomical distortions. And indeed, the creature in Ingres's canvas is utterly unknown in nature. Her torso and limbs have been radically elongated, prompting one critic to quip famously that she has three vertebrae too many. Others have found fault with the odalisque's overly expansive and amorphous backside, which has been compared to everything from leeches to Chicken Kiev.

The history of this work and even its attribution to Ingres have been the subject of considerable art historical debate. To hear more about this controversy, press the play button now.