Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski de Rola)
Le Lever [Getting up]1955The model in this painting is Balthus's niece by marriage, Frédérique Tison. Seventeen years old at the time this work was painted, Frédérique became the artist's favourite model and muse. Her pose is both vulnerable and confrontational, suggesting sexual awakening. It derives from paintings by Caravaggio and Corregio. The work was painted in the artist's château near Nevers, in central France, where Balthus moved in 1953.
Glossary [1] Show
Muse
The source of an artist's inspiration. The term originates in Greek mythology in which the Muses were the nine daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, each of whom presided over a different art or science.
- Accession no. GMA 2311
- Medium Oil on canvas
- Size 161.00 x 130.40 cm (framed: 188.00 x 155.5 cm)
- Credit Purchased 1981
Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski de Rola) (French, 1908 - 2001)
Balthus was born in Paris, the son of two Polish painters. He spent the years of the First World War in Berlin and Geneva, before returning to Paris in 1924. Balthus had no formal artistic training but taught himself by copying paintings in the Louvre and in Italy. His work owes as much to Italian Renaissance painting as to contemporary French art. His paintings often feature pubescent girls in suggestive poses: vulnerable but at the same time apparently conscious of their sexual power. This overt eroticism relates to Surrealism, though Balthus was never part of the official group.
Glossary [3] Show
Eroticism
The state of sexual arousal or the ability to arouse sexual feelings.
Renaissance
A period in European culture from the 14th to the 16th centuries in which the visual arts flourished with advances in the treatment of anatomy and the use of perspective. It is particularly associated with Italy, where it began, though the term applies elsewhere. It is noted for a revival of interest in the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome.
Surrealism
A literary and artistic movement founded by the poet André Breton in 1924. Many of the associated artists, such as Max Ernst and Jean Arp, had previously been involved with Dadaism. The movement sought to challenge conventions through the exploration of the subconscious mind, invoking the power of dreams and elements of chance. Cultural hierarchies were challenged by the combination of diverse elements in collages and sculptural assemblages. The movement is also notable for the collaborations between artists and writers evident in the Surrealists' many publications.