
The publication of Les Fleurs Du Mal by Charles Baudelaire in 1857 can rightly be judged as the birth of Modernity. Baudelaire’s innovation wasn’t in style or technique, but in the bold, shocking subject matter, (that would lead to obscenity trials) and its depiction of a sordid, urban milieu. As well as the poems themselves, Baudelaire as a perceptive art critic would have a great influence upon emerging young artists determined to break with convention and tradition, notably Edouard Manet (see Olympia Press: A Brief History of DBs which features his groundbreaking painting Olympia from 1863).
The great realist Gustave Courbet was directly inspired by Baudelaire’s poem Femmes damnees Delphine et Hippolyte (Damned Women Delphine and Hippolyte) from Les Fleurs du mal in his masterful erotic painting Le Sommeil (The Sleepers) from 1866. This provocative depiction of lesbianism with its compelling, and at the time completely new, realism led to a police report and removal for display when first exhibited in 1872. Le Sommeil was not subsequently allowed to be publicly shown until 1988.
1866 was also the year that Courbet completed a commission for his most famous erotic painting L’Origine du monde (The Origin of the World) with its graphic close up view of a naked woman’s genitals and abdomen. In February 2016 a Parisian court ruled that Facebook may be sued in France for removing the image from users pages.

(This is a revised version of a post that originally appeared here September 2016, in order for to fit in with the Dreams of Desire Series. If you like this post or my many other stories, poems, essays then my collection Motion No. 69 will be available for sale on 30th November 2017.)
this is exactly how it was I think ! Brillant !
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Thank you Camellia… glad you agree and enjoyed. I will take brilliant any day of the week. Merci beaucoup.
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Courbet is amazing and courageous. One of my favorites. Nicely repackaged for Dreams…
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Yes I am very fond of Courbet myself, a great artist and very courageous. Great paintings these, as I had come up to Ingres The Turkish Bath, Courbet had to be next.
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You could’ve reposted Richter, too. But this was a good choice
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That is a good idea… Watch this space
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I always do!
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Thank you very much.
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Very lustful scene, painted by one of the most brilliant artists you chose to share here. And I’m delighted by your description as well. Very daring and rebellious indeed, the choice of motifs. Apparently even for nowadays. A great post from a great writer, thank you. Queuing up to a wonderful series as well.
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Thank you very much, I try to do justify to fantastic artists.
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