Sumles in topic Old paintings · Edited
Lefebvre - La Cigale "Lefebvre took his subject 'la cigale', (the cicada or grasshopper) from Aesop's well-known fable of the grasshopper and the ant, quoting Fontaine's translation when he exhibited the larger version in the 1872 Salon - 'Quand la bise fut venue' (When the cold wind blows). Aesop tells that while the ant laboured to store up food in the good times of summer, the grasshopper sang and danced the time away. With the coming of autumn cold, la cigale in her nakedness, realizes her vulnerability and that the season of winter will be as bare as she. As often in his art, Lefebvre engaged maiden beauty, on this occasion to narrate the fate of the unprepared. It has been suggested that Lefebvre also had in mind recent French history, the disastrous Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, of Napoleon III's lack of preparation, economic collapse and the Commune uprising. This was the prelude to La Cigale's debut in the 1872 Salon. It's popularity led to the painting of several versions including the monumental one in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, acquired in 2005. Her companion, Lefebvre's Chloe, 1875, is one of Australia's great icons, displayed resplendent in Young and Jackson's Hotel in Melbourne city. Lefebvre's paintings likewise enrich many of the world's great collections - The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and The Heritage Museum, St Petersburg, included." David Thomas #art #painting #feminity #femininebeauty #sensual #sensuality #nudeart #artistic #eroticart #erotic #beauty
