Destinations

Up Close and (Very) Personal: An Original Artistic Journey (Part 2)

This is the second of a two-part article written by artist Lilianne Milgrom (the first part can be found here). Milgrom is Paris-born but currently resides in Washington, DC. She shares with Bonjour Paris her unique journey in which she explored female sexuality through her very personal encounter with one of Paris' most infamous treasures... (Lilianne can be contacted by e-mail here )

My first day as the official copiste of the most sexually explicit painting in the Musee d’Orsay was tinged with self-doubt and unexpected embarrassment. Gustave Courbet’s controversial masterpiece L’origine du monde is not your typical museum painting. To quote the accompanying wall text it is “a painting of a woman’s vagina and symbol of the freedom to look, which made it the definitive manifesto of the new art of painting.”

Originally commissioned in 1866 by the Turkish Egyptian diplomat Khalil Bey as an addition to his personal erotic art collection, Courbet’s painting caused quite a stir when it was publicly exhibited for the first time in 1995. What is most astonishing about this painting is its realism. Gone are the subtly positioned hand and draped fabric commonly used by Courbet’s peers as props to cover up the female genital area. Intent on challenging the presiding Romantic traditions of his day, Courbet was famously quoted as declaring “show me an angel and I shall paint one”. Indeed, the image that confronts the viewer is clearly no angel, but a very real woman as Nature intended her to be.

Setting up my blank canvas in front of L’origine du monde was rather daunting. But there was no going back. Under the watchful eye of a security guard and the cynical gaze of a handful of museum visitors I began my preliminary charcoal sketch. As I entered Courbet’s intimate world, the hours flew by and before I knew it I had completed an accurate outline of his model. Though relieved that my drawing skills had not forsaken me, I quickly realized that copying L’origine du monde (admittedly a challenging prospect) was secondary in substance to the reaction it elicited from its audience.

Over the next six weeks as a copiste my daily routine alternated between painting and soliciting the public’s fascinating and often contradictory opinions. Was I not aware, for example, that a recent panel of medical experts had proclaimed that Courbet’s model was a virgin? Barely one hour later, I was privy to the breaking news pronouncing this very same model to be in her third month of pregnancy! Apparently her rounded belly signified more than a penchant for bonbons. A virgin and pregnant…? This required further investigation, conveniently provided by a Russian gynecologist who asked me for permission to be photographed at my easel as if he were the artist reproducing Courbet’s painting. In exchange for the favor I requested his expert opinion regarding the unwitting subject’s virginity. His conclusion as to whether it was possible to determine the status of her hymen? Nyet!

From my first painting session until my last, I was immersed in a multi-lingual cacophony of contradictory reactions. Older men were mesmerized by the painting’s erotic appeal, while a lot of younger men found the image too clinical, devoid of the sexual innuendos that facial features could have added to the pose. By omitting the head and limbs, was the artist avoiding the difficulty encountered in painting the human face, or was he chauvinistically objectifying women, an opinion expressed by a visiting art professor? Women, on the other hand, tended to be divided into two camps—those who saw the painting as a metaphor for Motherhood, and those who were convinced that Courbet had painted an erotic portrait of a woman with obviously lax morals. Many of the comments drew out cultural differences with Europeans in general tending to be far more relaxed about nudity and sexuality than their Anglo counterparts.

While my painting required my visual attention, my ears were nonetheless attuned to the steady stream of sound effects delivered by the public when first they came upon L’origine du monde. Loud intakes of breath, involuntary gasps and giggles, and cries of disbelief or admiration were the norm. I was fascinated by the painting’s ability to inspire such emotional response, diverse perspectives and spirited academic dialogue more than a century after its creation.

It is no surprise that my daily dose of L’origine du monde prompted me to examine my own feelings as a woman. As my painted copy was slowly but surely coming to life, I found myself identifying more and more with my subject in the spirit of universal Sisterhood. Her nakedness was my nakedness. I was at once embarrassed and proud. At times I felt protective of Courbet’s model, and angry at the artist for allowing us to become voyeurs. My status as a copiste also blurred the boundary between the subject and the observer. When I began my work, Courbet’s model was my subject, and I the observer. But to hundreds of museum visitors I myself became the unwilling subject of fascination and observation. I have never been photographed so profusely in my entire life!

Six weeks to the day, I completed my version of L’origine du monde and bid farewell to the museum staff who assured me that I had surpassed their expectations. My experience definitely surpassed my own expectations. Through my struggle to achieve Courbet’s luscious, creamy skin tones and expressive brush strokes, I improved as a painter and developed a great respect for Courbet’s talent as well as his unwavering principles. My original goal of searching for greater insight into my own sexuality was met in the most unexpected manner, and in ways that I have yet to uncover.

As I boarded the plane back home with my personal copy of L’origine du monde tucked under my arm, I realized that the starting point I had chosen was actually the launching point for many journeys still to come. Hopefully they will again lead me to my favorite city. A bientôt, Paris!

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