Le Bain de la Marquise
1906
- Period Late 19th century – Early 20th century
- CategoryGenre Painting
Le Bain de la Marquise is s connected thematically, if not topographically, to Alexander Benois’ Versailles series. It depicts the artist’s beloved 18th century. Is it Versailles? Yes, if Versailles is taken to imply all that is refined, enigmatic, beautiful, prophetic and typical of the 18th century. For contemporaries, did more than just personify their fantasies of the distant past. Baron Nikolai Wrangel wrote: “Somov and Benois well understood that the inaccessible will always be desired. They resurrected these puppets that we found sweet in their distance from us and let them into the world of the living. The awe inspiring nudity of their bodies and their ugly faces are particularly exquisite and attractive. Indeed, modern man cannot imagine a Temptress or a Dream with classical features.”