La Captive 1845 - 1850

Théodore Chassériau’s "La Captive" is rendered in oil paint, a medium closely associated with the academic tradition he inhabited. Yet, the application is surprisingly loose. Note how the landscape behind the figure seems brushed in quickly, almost as an afterthought. Even the figure herself is not highly modeled, but appears as a constellation of brushstrokes. The diaphanous shawl she clutches is only barely described. Chassériau’s teacher, Ingres, would have frowned on this seemingly unfinished quality. But it reflects a shift in attitude taking place at the time, toward a more immediate, physical approach to art making. Rather than presenting a polished illusion, the artist leaves a trace of his labor for us to see. It's easy to overlook the labor involved in producing works like this, but we shouldn't. From the grinding of pigments to the layering of glazes, painting is hard work, and Chassériau's embrace of painterly technique brings that process to the fore. In so doing, he reveals his position at a turning point in art history, between the old and the new.