Joan of Arc
1879
A young peasant girl stands barefoot in a lush, overgrown garden, her arm outstretched as if reaching for something invisible. She looks up with a mix of awe and trance, having just been visited by ghostly, golden-hued figures of saints and angels hovering near the cottage wall. Bastien-Lepage masterfully blends gritty realism—the dirt on her feet, the rough texture of her clothes—with a dreamlike vision, capturing the exact moment Joan of Arc hears her divine calling. The painting caused a sensation when it debuted, praised for making a legendary hero look like a real, tired farm girl rather than a polished statue.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
- Material
- Oil paint
Location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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