Odalisque

The striking print, Odalisque, was created by the French master Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres in 1825. Though perhaps best known for his large-scale oil canvases depicting similar subjects, this particular piece is classified as a print, utilizing the relatively new technique of lithography. This medium allowed Ingres to reproduce and circulate his classical yet sensual explorations of the female form to a broader audience. As an influential figure in early 19th-century French art, Ingres consistently returned to the subject of the odalisque, utilizing the exoticized setting popularized by the growing trend of Orientalism to justify formal artistic innovations and profound anatomical distortions.

Ingres’s interpretation reflects the prevailing fascination with the Near East in France during the Romantic era. While the title and subject suggest exotic opulence and faraway lands, the primary focus of the work remains the figure’s idealized, sinuous contours, a signature element of Ingres’s superb draftsmanship. Unlike his most famous painted odalisques, the lithograph simplifies the visual environment, emphasizing the foundational power of line and shadow inherent to the printmaking process. This piece demonstrates the artist’s lifelong commitment to classical ideals filtered through a highly personal and expressive lens, solidifying his reputation as a master draftsman whose influence spanned the century.

This work, along with many other important historical prints, now resides in institutional collections, offering widespread access. The high quality of Ingres's original design ensures that prints based on this piece are frequently studied and preserved, often available through public domain initiatives worldwide. This particular impression of Odalisque is held in the comprehensive collection of European prints at the Cleveland Museum of Art, serving as a vital example of Ingres’s artistic endeavors outside of his commissioned oil paintings.