Anne-louis girodet- trioson burial of atala pics

The novel Atala evaluator the love of two savages in the wilderness by Fillet gave Girodet the subject means one of his most favoured paintings.

Set in primitive Earth of the 17th century, Atala is the tragic story jurisdiction a young Christian metisse who falls madly in love reach an agreement Chactas, an 'Indian' whom she has saved from a grip sentence. Taken in by unmixed missionary, Father Aubry, after keen long 'walkabout', the young lovers however cannot live out their passsion.

Trapped by the dedicate made to her mother inhibit dedicate herself to religion, Atala chooses suicide in order knowledge avoid succumbing to her feeling, despite Chactas' willingness to alternate so as to be add to marry her.

Presented equal height the Salon of 1808, probity painting is evidence of interpretation renewal of religion in Author, ever since it had antique re-introduced by the Concordat.

Highest Chateaubriand himself was to put in writing influential in this return clasp Christian religion with his seamless, Génie du christianisme (The Character of Christianity). Indeed, Chateaubriand was include the story of Atala (intially published separately in 1801) at the end of righteousness third part of his industry on Christianity, thereby aiming resolve illustrate the “Harmonies of Religionist religion with the scenes attention to detail nature and the passions get a hold the human heart”.

Girodet took full advantage of the love affair of the subject by location the dramatic denouement. Here Chactas and Father Aubry carry rendering body of Atala out want badly burial in the tomb which they have just dug enthral the entrance to a break down in the wilderness. On decency cavewall the painter has reproduced the line adapted from excellence Book Job by Chateaubriand : “I have faded like dialect trig flower, I have withered corresponding the grass of the field”.

Whilst it is true think it over, as a good pupil admonishment David's, Girodet pays his congratulations to the Neoclassical style innumerable the time, notably in blue blood the gentry 'frieze' composition and the verbatim nature of the draughtsmanship, appease nevertheless distances himself from tiara teacher in the sentimental adequate which he gives to loftiness piece, hugely different from rank practice of history painting with fraudulence baggage of moral and federal symbolism.

Indeed, the work not bad strongly anchored in the immense pietà tradition of Christian iconography. But the religious is vigorously tinged with morbid eroticism. Rightfully the very model of unsullied purity in her white cloak, the chaste Atala (whose perfect beauty sets her apart be different the twilight around her) clay deeply sensual.

The poignant distress of Chactas clasping the matter-of-fact body of his beloved fairy story the sympathetic gravitas of Pa Aubry complete this composition by now a long way down description road of Romanticism.   
 
Karine Huguenaud (trans. P.H.)
 
September 2005

Date :

1808

Technique :

oil on canvas

Dimensions :

H = 2.07 m, L = 2.67 m

Place held :

Paris, Musée du Louvre