Tuesday, November 3, 2009

A Lady at Her Toilet

Toilet or Toilette paintings appear throughout the centuries and in varying cultures. They show a woman at her toilet, that is, in the multiple stages of dress: awaking, clothing, applying makeup, etc. This genre of painting was especially popular in the Dutch Golden Age and in the 18th and 19th centuries. It allowed artists to show the nude form in interesting positions while at the same time allowed the artists some freedom in creating a somewhat titillating scene. Many of these toilet scene from the 18th century come from France and have a voyeuristic quality with the lady being unaware of her viewers or coyly making eye contact with them. Common elements include disheveled backgrounds, attendants, animals, and peeping lovers which insinuate the lady at her toilet has just had an amorous engagement.

Antoine Watteau, 1717

Fancois Boucher, 1742

Francois Boucher, 1751

Francois Boucher, 1758

Louis Leopald Boilly


Michel Garnier, 1796

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10 comments:

  1. lydia dimitrovaNovember 3, 2009 at 5:47 AM

    All of them are great, I particularly like the first.

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  2. adamantixxNovember 3, 2009 at 7:54 AM

    they are very intriguing and a little voyeuristic, like looking through the keyhole.
    love them!

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  3. Paul MillerNovember 3, 2009 at 8:03 AM

    I love the last one, but is it just me or does it look like he got the shape of her thigh wrong? The top seems oddly concave. The Boucher with the lady in front of the fire, with the maid and the screen behind her, really cracks me up. The position of her legs is boldly vulgar in relation to the painting as a whole.

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  4. Paul MillerNovember 3, 2009 at 8:05 AM

    Okay, was Boucher known for a wicked sense of humor? I just looked at that one again and noticed the puss-, er, kitty between her legs. Unbelievable.

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  5. Lucy November 3, 2009 at 10:37 AM

    I think the details in Boucher's paintings are perfect! I always wonder about how intentionally everything is portrayed. Thanks!

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  6. JessiNovember 3, 2009 at 3:05 PM

    Interesting concept - I like =) I love the ones with the lovers peeping. Is it just me or does the curtain on the door in the first Boucher look like a face in the window, too?

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  7. Heather CarrollNovember 3, 2009 at 4:02 PM

    It does seem like something is behind that slightly ajar door, hmm. And yes, Paul, the cat being there is no mistake!

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  8. VicNovember 3, 2009 at 11:08 PM

    How did Watteau manage to capture me at my toilette?

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  9. Heather CarrollNovember 4, 2009 at 8:25 AM

    Vic, don't act so coy, that expression on your face suggests you were totally aware!

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  10. SakiVINovember 5, 2009 at 5:27 PM

    Definitely like that last one the best. There's this, oops, let's adjust the stocking when no one's looking air. Except they are, both around the door and straight on as viewers of the painting.

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