Mademoiselle Lange as Venus
Ahoy!
I’ve changed the design a bit, yes again. As you can see, I’ve included a background from the link from yesterday. I chose a Mooresque design.
Oooooooooh.
The header image is a return to my usual pilfering of images from wga.hu. This one is by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Trioson, called Mademoiselle Lange as Venus, painted in 1798.
I chose the image because of my simple gut reaction of: PRETTY! It’s what I believe most of us do with art or other stuffs. We like it. We look.
But naturally, like most images I tend to go for, this one has an awesome story. Lucky me, lucky you!
According to the Minneapolis Institute of Art,
“Miss Lange was a talented actress known for her beauty and wealthy lovers. Girodet had painted an earlier portrait of her that she found unflattering.
“When she refused to pay the agreed-upon price and insisted that the painting be removed from public view at the Paris Salon, the enraged Girodet sought revenge with this second, satirical portrait.
“Eighteenth-century artists sometimes portrayed people as mythological characters to highlight their virtues. Girodet inverted this convention to defame Miss Lange. Danae was one of the mortals loved by the Greek god Zeus, who transformed himself into a shower of gold and fell upon her.
Girodet shows Miss Lange greedily catching the gold coins. All of the painting’s details are scathingly symbolic. For example, the turkey wearing a wedding ring represents a man the actress married for his fortune. The cracked mirror denotes her inability to see herself as Girodet saw her—a vain, adulterous, and avaricious woman.”
Kick ass, no? Art is never boring.
Posted by Melissa on July 3rd, 2008 under Histoire d'Art9 Responses to “Mademoiselle Lange as Venus”
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July 3rd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Totally kick ass!
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:55 pm
LOOOOOOVE IT. I don’t know why we don’t see more turkeys in portraits.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Oh first> Purse pup is so freaking CUTE! Awwww.
Second, that’s a cool choice for your header. Also, I LOVE that story. Too funny. You’ve gotta love someone who will go through that much trouble (painting a second pic) to voice their feelings.
And personally if someone painted my boobs and thighs to look like that I’d be all “Here’s all the money in every bank account I own!” Because no cellulite or effects of gravity!
July 4th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
HA HA HA HA HA
Love it. I actually like the second picture better, because it’s more interesting, yes, but also because looks like something I would paint if I were angry enough and less of a procrastinator. The turkey, oh, the turkey. So beautiful. And what is that, a dead dove next to her thigh? And is there another dead bird of some sort on its back next to her foot?
(Also, the Guerilla Girl wannabe in me also applauds your recognition of a not-well-enough-known female artist of that period.)
July 5th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Oh, Sara, I’m so sorry to say that this is another male artist. Anne-LOUIS…as it were.
And Lisa, hells yes I would too!
July 5th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I’m crushed!!! Those wacky French with their naming conventions. Waaaaah!
hahahaha
July 6th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
(Oh, and I also thought it was Anne-Louise. hahahaha)
July 11th, 2008 at 1:57 am
Ha, love the story that goes with the paintings! Isn’t that just like an artist, to paint like an angel with the sour, petty, peeved, vengeful focus of an asshole?
What contradiction. Look at how lovingly he sweated to get the illumination from above just right.
July 15th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
ooooo, I really liked this one, and then after reading about it I like it even more. Thanks!