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Lot Essay
Delvaux's fascination with Surrealism was sparked by the Minotaure exhibition held in Brussels in 1934. He was particularly taken with the works by Magritte, de Chirico and Dali. Delvaux was introduced to the
Surrealists by Magritte and as a result participated in several of
their exhibitions over the following years. During his career Delvaux became an outstanding painter of the female nude and of atmospheres of 'unreality'. Through these images Delvaux never failed to involve the
viewer in his profound questioning of the nature of representational painting, and of the expression of human desire through art.
The present work is a fine example of the 'unreality' of Delvaux's
oeuvre, partly resulting from the presentation of a female nude in a
carefully and academically rendered space. The viewer is drawn into
the surrealist mood by the beautiful nude, who is confrontationally
placed in the foreground. The immediate result is an unexpected sense
of intimacy. Using fewer props than in his earlier pictures, Delvaux
has painted a set of juxtaposed contradictions which create a
dreamlike, erotic atmosphere. The strong but neutral light which
reflects on the unusual whiteness of the figure's skin contrasts
sharply with the darker blood-red colour of the background. This
combines with the cold architecture, the mirror and the figure's nudity to dramtically enhance the eroticism of the image.
At the same time, the minutiae of the background details in the present work carry a conviction of reality which when placed together with the nude appear somewhat incongruous and add to the 'unreality' of the
painting. The position of the young woman's hands and arms, her
rigidity, and lack of expression contrast with her total frontal
nudity, whilst her larger than life eyes and her dreamlike gaze
increase the eeriness of the picture.
As with other works by Delvaux, one is here challenged to reflect on
the representation of the artist's desire. There is no escape beyond
the nude. Windows, mirrors and other apertures are all blocked. The woman is trapped in a shallow, unreal space, between the viewer and the background, doubly framed by the frames of the picture and of the
mirror, trapped naked in an empty conventional room, but filling it as a fantasy would the artist's and the viewer's mind.
Surrealists by Magritte and as a result participated in several of
their exhibitions over the following years. During his career Delvaux became an outstanding painter of the female nude and of atmospheres of 'unreality'. Through these images Delvaux never failed to involve the
viewer in his profound questioning of the nature of representational painting, and of the expression of human desire through art.
The present work is a fine example of the 'unreality' of Delvaux's
oeuvre, partly resulting from the presentation of a female nude in a
carefully and academically rendered space. The viewer is drawn into
the surrealist mood by the beautiful nude, who is confrontationally
placed in the foreground. The immediate result is an unexpected sense
of intimacy. Using fewer props than in his earlier pictures, Delvaux
has painted a set of juxtaposed contradictions which create a
dreamlike, erotic atmosphere. The strong but neutral light which
reflects on the unusual whiteness of the figure's skin contrasts
sharply with the darker blood-red colour of the background. This
combines with the cold architecture, the mirror and the figure's nudity to dramtically enhance the eroticism of the image.
At the same time, the minutiae of the background details in the present work carry a conviction of reality which when placed together with the nude appear somewhat incongruous and add to the 'unreality' of the
painting. The position of the young woman's hands and arms, her
rigidity, and lack of expression contrast with her total frontal
nudity, whilst her larger than life eyes and her dreamlike gaze
increase the eeriness of the picture.
As with other works by Delvaux, one is here challenged to reflect on
the representation of the artist's desire. There is no escape beyond
the nude. Windows, mirrors and other apertures are all blocked. The woman is trapped in a shallow, unreal space, between the viewer and the background, doubly framed by the frames of the picture and of the
mirror, trapped naked in an empty conventional room, but filling it as a fantasy would the artist's and the viewer's mind.