Ingres

The retrospective of Ingres (French, mostly worked in Italy) was worth every penny (see previous post where I got a free ticket). Actually it was worth more than that. He was a fabulous portraitist - apparently he said. "In the head, the first job of the artist is to make the eyes speak" or something like that. Anyway, he did. His drawings of people (especially his wife) were tender and the oil portraits were very charaterful. In some the characters looked engaging or powerful, in others vapid or vain.

The French authored commentary on his life and works was not only in curious English, but also seemed preoccupied with his sexual life. He was married and seemed to enjoy a normal fantasy life - but it was always remarked on when he entered a phase of painting nekkid women (which he did very well).

No comment was made on his early works which featured a lot of nekkid men (hot!).

Update: this link takes you to a summary of the exhibit (in French) and to the period when Ingres was painting male nudes (but doesn't show the really dramatic one.