The Parisian Sphinx

The Parisian Sphinx
An extremely naturalistic portrait of a pretty young lady with a dreamy and mind-wandering expression, and a finger poised on her lip. Her head is supported by her left hand, and the latter's arm stands propped on her right arm, which circles her waist just below her breasts. There is a beautiful play of colors and light. The execution of the painting is remarkable, the girl's gaze mesmerizing.
ArtistAlfred Stevens
Year1875–1877
Catalogue1373
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions72 cm × 52 cm (29.5 in × 20+4⁄7 in)
LocationRoyal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Antwerp

The Parisian Sphinx is an oil-on-canvas painting by Belgian painter Alfred Stevens. Painted between 1875 and 1877, it depicts a dreamy young woman (or aristocratic demi-monde) gently supporting her head with her hand. The painting is part of the permanent collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp. The Parisian Sphinx shows the influence of Vermeer and the other Netherlandish old masters on Stevens, and testifies to the Symbolist influence in the latter's day. It incorporates a harmonious juxtaposition of superficial Dutch realism with the spreading Symbolist manner, as opposed to the bottom-up, pluralistic symbolism of the declining Romanticism.

Beside being renowned for its realism and luminism, The Parisian Sphinx has been described as enigmatic.[1] Critics agree in that the apparently realistic painting conceals a hidden meaning.[1][2] Many point to the "hidden dangers behind feminine tenderness",[2] and to the figure of the femme fatale.[1]

  1. ^ a b c "The Parisian Sphinx". KMSKA. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b Hoffmann-Curtis, Kathrine (2008). Women and Death Representations of Female Victims and Perpetrators in German Culture 1500-2000. Rochester, NY: Camden House Publishing. pp. 160–165. ISBN 9781571133854.