Le Désespéré (The Desperate Man or Desperation) is an oil-on-canvas self-portrait by Gustave Courbet, 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 Conseil Investissement Art BNP Paribas but was displayed in the Musée d'Orsay's 2007 Courbet exhibition.[1]
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
The Man Made Mad with Fear, unfinished gouache-on-paper sketch by Courbet (1843–1844, National Gallery of Norway)
Researchers estimate that this painting (oil on canvas, 45 x 54 cm) was made between 1843 and 1845, at the beginning of Courbert's stay in Paris.[3]
He was attached to Le Désespéré, 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 Désespoir".[4][5]
The canvas belongs to a private investment collection, but was exhibited at the Musée d'Orsay in 2007.[6]
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.[7]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.[8]
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."[5]
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'sLe Passager.
.jpg)
