Tip: move over the painting to use the lens.
The Birth of Venus
Alexandre Cabanel · 1863
- Artist
- Alexandre Cabanel
- Date
- 1863
- Where to see it
- Musée d'Orsay
Musée d'Orsay · Public domain · image via Wikimedia Commons · see it at the museum ↗
Slow Look
- The whole picture Let your eyes wander. Where do they want to rest?
- The light Find the brightest spot. What is it showing you?
- The edges Look at what is half cut off at the borders.
- One small detail Choose one tiny thing and stay with it for a while.
- The whole picture again Step back. Has it changed for you?
About Alexandre Cabanel
Alexandre Cabanel was a French painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. He was Napoleon III's preferred painter and, with Gérôme and Meissonier, was one of "the three most successful artists of the Second Empire."
What do you see?
Stand in front of it for a moment. Then tell us what you noticed or felt - there are no wrong answers.
Be the first to share a thought.
