Odalisque 1867

Francesco Hayez made this painting in oils on canvas; a traditional artistic medium. Hayez skillfully builds the painting with layers of oil. Look closely and you can see how the texture of the linen canvas subtly shows through the thin layers of paint, creating the impression of soft, yielding skin. In the 19th century, painting like this would have been a highly valued skill, requiring years of training and careful control of materials. Pigments would have been ground by hand by workshop assistants, using recipes passed down from masters. So, the work is not only an aesthetic one, but also one of material transformation. Considering the effort and the process behind the work invites a closer appreciation, challenging the traditional separation of craft and fine art, and encouraging us to consider not just what is depicted, but how it came into being.