The New Favourite
1875
Fernand Cormon drops us into a tense, exoticized scene typical of 19th-century Orientalism, where a man in a turban and vibrant red vest gestures toward a pale, nude woman while clutching a rifle. The title 'The New Favourite' suggests she has just been selected for a harem, playing into the era's fascination with the 'East' as a place of mystery and submission. While Cormon was a strict Academic painter, his studio was a famous incubator for artistic rebels—he actually taught both Vincent van Gogh and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec!
- Technique
- Oil painting
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