Flaming Shadows: Girodet and the Incarnate Spectator.

The article examines the interplay between light, shadow, and subjectivity in the works of Anne-Louis Girodet, particularly focusing on his paintings "Pygmalion and Galatea" and "The Sleep of Endymion." It discusses how these mythological compositions reflect the challenges of representing a coheren...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Eighteenth Century: Theory & Interpretation Vol. 65; no. 3; pp. 157 - 182
Main Author: Feinberg, Michael
Format: Article
Published: University of Pennsylvania Press Fall2024
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:The article examines the interplay between light, shadow, and subjectivity in the works of Anne-Louis Girodet, particularly focusing on his paintings "Pygmalion and Galatea" and "The Sleep of Endymion." It discusses how these mythological compositions reflect the challenges of representing a coherent self amidst the complexities of spectatorship and embodied experience, especially in the context of post-Revolutionary France. The analysis highlights how light and shadow complicate the viewer's understanding of identity, suggesting that the act of viewing becomes entangled with the artist's own vulnerabilities and the viewer's sensory experiences. Ultimately, the article posits that Girodet's works serve as a lens through which to explore the disjointed nature of selfhood and the limitations of rational vision in art.