Image source: artrenewal.org
Ophélie (Ophelia)
Artist:Jules-Elie Delaunay
| Support Type: | Wood Panel |
| Paint Type: | Oil Paint |
| Current Location: | Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France |
| Location History: | Ophélie was created by Jules-Élie Delaunay in 1882. In the same year, the painting was acquired by the City of Bordeaux through purchase at the Salon de la Société des Amis des Arts de Bordeaux. It subsequently entered the collections of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux, where it remains today under inventory number Bx E 771. The work has therefore had a remarkably stable institutional history: from its acquisition by the municipal collection in 1882 to its present preservation in Bordeaux.* Over the course of its museum history, the painting has also been included in several exhibitions, including the Société des Amis des Arts exhibition in Bordeaux in 1882, exhibitions of nineteenth-century French painting in later decades, and exhibitions in Bordeaux, Calais, Yamanashi and Nantes. Despite these temporary exhibition loans, its permanent collection and ownership have remained connected to Bordeaux. |
Delaunay’s portrait provides an extremely unusual perspective on the character of Ophelia – instead of depicting her as a drowned, hysterical or floating in the water girl like other 19th-century artists did, Delaunay captures her looking directly and peacefully into the eyes of the observer. By surrounding the girl with pure blackness without any kind of scenery, Delaunay eliminates any form of theatrical element, making the girl's flowers funeral emblems, not just rural decorations. The gentle look that she gives makes her a dignified person accepting her own destiny, not just a mad girl.
Information Compiled by
Zia Rukshan Zerin