Le Désespéré

(''The Desperate Man'' or ''Desperation'') is an oil-on-canvas self-portrait by , produced from 1843 to 1845, during his stay in Paris. It depicts Courbet as a young man staring in front of him with wide eyes, grasping his hair in desperation. It is now in the private collection of the but was displayed in the 's 2007 Courbet exhibition.

Description

The work is a self-portrait of Gustave Courbet who presents himself from the front, close-up, with his mouth half-open and his gaze plunging him into the spectator's. His eyes are wide and both his hands seem ready to pull out his hair. He wears a dark blue scarf loosely around his neck. The paleness of his face contrasts with the darkness of his hair and beard, all reinforced by the whiteness of the shirt. The light source accentuates the contrasts from above, on the left.

History of the painting

In the 1840s Courbet produced portraits of his friends and clients as well as self-portraits, including '' Self-Portrait with a Black Dog'' (1842). He spent time in the Louvre copying works by José de Ribera, Francisco de Zurbarán, Diego Velasquez and Rembrandt which influenced the beginnings of his work. He broke from his traditional vertical format for the work.

Researchers estimate that this painting (oil on canvas, 45 cm × 54 cm) was made between 1843 and 1845, at the beginning of Courbert's stay in Paris.

He was attached to , taking it with him when he went into exile in Switzerland in 1873. A few years later doctor Paul Collin's description of Courbet's studio included a mention of "a painting showing Courbet with a desperate expression, for this reason entitled ". Sylvain Amic, ''Catalogue de l'exposition Courbet au Grand Palais 2007''

The canvas belongs to a private investment collection, but was exhibited at the Musée d'Orsay in 2007.

Analysis

Courbet adopts a landscape format in opposition to the more traditional portrait format for such subject matter.

The romantic approach of portraiture was focused on emotion. This portrait follows that tendency and Courbet, although he never defined himself as a romantic painter, made his first paintings under this influence. ''The Desperate Man'' thus follows the tradition of Jacques-Louis David's stereotyped expressions as well as 17th-century Spanish painters such as José de Ribera and Francisco de Zurbarán, whom Courbet then studied at the Louvre.« Courbet (Gustave) 1819-1877 » par Pierre Georgel, In: ''Encyclopaedia Universalis'', Paris, 2008, tome VI, .

It is not known whether the title of this canvas reflects the despair of the artist himself or whether it is merely a theoretical exercise. The painting may be an indication of Courbet's dark side, as he revealed to his friend and patron Alfred Bruyas in a letter: "Through this laughing mask that you know me with, I hide the sorrow, the bitterness, and the sadness that grips the heart like a vampire from within."

In popular culture

In 2012, the painting was referenced in the film ''Associates against Crime'', starring Catherine Frot and André Dussollier. The painting is also cited in the third chapter ("Nacsuna") of Jean-Christophe Grangé's ''Le Passager''.

See also

* Self-portraiture

References

Bibliography (in French)

''Courbet''
on the website of the

''Le désespéré''
a short video on Dailymotion
* Coli Jorge
« L’Atelier de Courbet »
in: ''Art Absolument'', Autumn 2007, no. 22, p. 59–63

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desespere, Le
Self-portraiture
Paintings by Gustave Courbet
Courbet
19th-century portraits
1845 paintings
Romantic paintings