Shop art print and framed art Pygmalion et Galatée by Anne-Louis Girodet

Pygmalion in Love with his Statue, also known as Pygmalion and Galatea, is a painting by Anne-Louis Girodet, based on the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea described by Ovid in his Metamorphoses. Commissioned by the Italian patron Giovanni Battista Sommariva, who wanted a work paying tribute to the Italian artist and sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822), Girodet's painting was produced between 1813 and 1819 and first exhibited at the Salon of 1819. It was Girodet's last work. With its mythological subject, the work belongs to the noble genre, but is also part of the Neoclassical artistic movement, with its quest for ideal beauty, its worship of antiquity and its use of curves. Its depiction of the exaltation of feelings in the figure of Pygmalion also makes it a precursor of the Romantic movement. The expression on the sculptor's face is striking, where adoration mingles with surprise (with a slightly open mouth, as if the sculptor were holding back an exclamation) and fascination. In his posture, we sense his doubts, his expectation: with his left hand, he does not dare touch Galatea, does not dare believe in the miracle, even though his face, illuminated by the grace of the statue, already shows all his love and devotion. His gaze not only stares at Galatea, but also in a way shows his piety for the gods, since it is directed upwards, towards the source of the light. Girodet also recalls the episode in Ovid where Pygmalion prays to the goddess. His right hand, folded against [...]

 

This artwork is a painting from the classical period. It belongs to the neoclassicism styles and romanticism styles.

 

« Pygmalion et Galatée » is kept at Louvre, Paris, France.

 

Find the full description of Pygmalion et Galatée by Anne-Louis Girodet on Wikipedia.