Image source: musee-orsay.fr
La Source
| Support Type: | Canvas |
| Paint Type: | Oil Paint |
| Current Location: | Musée d\'Orsay, Paris |
| Location History: | "La Source" was acquired directly from Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres in 1857 by Count Charles-Marie Tanneguy Duchatel for 25,000 francs. After his death, the painting remained in the collection of Countess Duchatel until 1878. In that year, she bequeathed the work to the French State, and it was subsequently assigned to the Musée du Louvre in Paris. The painting remained at the Louvre from 1878 until 1986, when it was transferred on deposit to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, where it is currently housed. |
La Source (The Spring), painted by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres in 1856, is one of the defining works of French Neoclassicism. The painting depicts a nude young woman standing beside a rocky spring, holding a vessel from which water pours. The figure is identified with the classical tradition of the nymph or personification of a spring. Ingres presents the body with an idealised, almost sculptural perfection. The elongated proportions, exceptionally smooth skin, and carefully controlled contours reveal his fascination with line, purity and classical beauty. The figure's contrapposto is restrained, giving her a calm, timeless presence.
Information Compiled by
Asmita Kakati