Remorse (Baader painting)

Remorse (French: Le Remords) is an oil on canvas painting by Louis-Marie Baader. It is a very large canvas, 376cm high and 295cm wide. It was first exhibited at the Salon of 1875 and was purchased by the state from the artist.[1]

Subject

The painting depicts an episode from Greek mythology. Orestes avenges the murder of his father Agamemnon by his mother Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus by killing them both.[2] In the moment captured in the painting, Orestes looks down in horror at the bodies of the couple he has just murdered, while around him crowd the Erinyes. By painting both Orestes and Clytemnestra nude, Baader demonstrated his mastery of anatomy to the Academy and appealed to the public at the Salon, who were fond of sensual nudity.[1]

History

When first purchased, the painting was displayed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Dole. It remained there until 1980, when it was assigned to the Louvre and then placed in the collection of the Musée d’Orsay. It was not placed on display there however due to its extremely poor condition. There were tears and deformations of the canvas, alterations to the original paint, and widespread cracking. The painting was restored for the thirty year anniversary of the museum in 2016. The work was carried out in the galleries, inside a glass enclosure, so that the restorers could work in full view of the public.[3][4]After restoration it was loaned to the Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung in Munich for the 2017-18 special exhibition Gut · Wahr · Schön. Meisterwerke des Pariser Salons aus dem Musée d'Orsay.[1]

Critical reception

Lucien Dubois praised the canvas for its drawing technique and use of colour, but complained that, like most allegorical paintings, its meaning was not clear.[5] Luc-Olivier Merson considered it an outstanding work and regretted that the jury had not awarded it a medal at the 1875 Salon.[6]

References
  1. "Le Remords". musee-orsay.fr. Musée d’Orsay. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  2. Grand Dictionnaire Universel [du XIXe Siecle] Francais: (1.)-2. supplement.1878-90?. Paris: Administration du Grand dictionnaire universel. 1878. p. 269. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  3. "Le "Remords" sauvé de l'oubli un tableau de Louis-Marie Baader restauré au musée d'Orsay en 2016". unirioja.es. Universidad de la Rioja. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  4. "Restauration du "Remords" de Louis-Marie Baader". fr.ulule.com. Ulule. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  5. Revue de Bretagne Volume 38. Nantes. 1875. pp. 11–12. Retrieved 16 January 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. Le monde illustré journal hebdomadaire. Paris. 1875. p. 351. Retrieved 16 January 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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