The fisherman and the nymph 1837

Henri Lehmann painted "The Fisherman and the Nymph" during the 19th century in France, a time of significant social and political change. Lehmann's work reflects the era's fascination with classical mythology, filtered through the lens of Romanticism. Here, we see a nude nymph rising from the water, gesturing towards a fisherman. He is partially draped in red cloth, and reclines on the bank. Lehmann, who studied under Ingres, used the classical subject to explore themes of beauty and desire, but also to address social expectations around the representation of the human form. Consider the institutional context: Lehmann exhibited regularly at the Salon, and conformed to the academic standards that governed artistic success in France. The painting would have been viewed by an audience well-versed in classical art. To understand the painting fully we need to research the critical response to Lehmann's work. We might also examine official Salon records to understand the institutional backdrop against which this painting was first displayed and interpreted.