71
Picture Sale “O
Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood Okehampton Street, Exeter. EX4 1DU Tel: 01392 413100
www.bhandl.co.uk
dalisque” originates from the Turkish language and describes a female attendant, a slave or concubine within a harem. The Odalisque has
been a closely examined, powerful and iconographic subject for European painters through the ages. The harem was a domestic space, sometimes referred to as ‘sacred’, reserved for women of the household, and it is within this private interior that the story and depiction of the Odalisque has thrived. Manet, Ingres, Matisse and Boucher have all painted versions of the Odalisque. The painting illustrated here is by a Hungarian woman called Maria Szantho who was born in 1897. Szanthos’ early interest in the arts was in music and she gained a diploma at The Hungarian Music Academy before pursuing her increasing passion in painting. She embarked on painting tours of France
and Italy where she will have encountered influential and inspiring versions of the Odalisque and those influences are evident here. The nubile, uninhibited, naked form is laid out for all to see. But, there is also a strong sense of privacy and that the gaze of the admirer, our gaze, might well be interpreted as voyeuristic and intrusive. Two further paintings in the same auction sale as ‘Odalisque’
strongly reference this too. The emphatic rejection of the undesired male gaze in Victoriano Codina Langlin’s painting of a music room interior ridicule a buffoonish looking man and place a bored, frustrated and intelligent young
woman at the centre of the composition. The young woman would clearly like to be just about anywhere but here and has discarded a rather pointless fan and handkerchief which lie rejected on an ominous and iconographic dead tiger skin rug. She is trapped, but you sense that she might escape too. In another painting of womanhood an empowered, confident and strong looking woman dominates the canvas within a rich, exotic and luxurious interior. Here, womanhood takes centre stage, but questions are posed about her role in society; is she an active serious member, or side-lined? The answer lies in her strong gaze, straight back at the viewer, locking eyes, demanding attention and serious consideration. She is enlightened and empowered.
All three paintings are offered in the Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood Picture Sale in Exeter on Tuesday 5th October 2021. For further details please call 01392 413100.
ANTIQUES & JEWELLERY VALUATION DAYS KINGSBRIDGE
Tuesday 19th October Tuesday 23rd November Harbour House The Promenade 10.00am - 1.00pm
All enquiries please call 01392 413100
St. Edmund’s Court, Okehampton Street, Exeter. EX4 1DU T: 01392 413100 W:
www.bhandl.co.uk
E:
enquiries@bhandl.co.uk
An Austin J40 pedal car Sold for £2,500
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