Woman with a Parrot

This reclining nude provoked divided responses at the Salon of 1866. Manet painted a related subject that year, and Cézanne reportedly kept a photograph of Courbet’s work. The picture became part of contemporary debate over painting the body and addressing exhibition conventions.

The nude woman lies across the bed. Her horizontal body establishes the broad format and occupies most of the foreground.

A colourful bird perches on the raised hand. Interaction with the parrot gives an action to the figure’s reclining pose.

Long brown hair spreads across the white bedding. The contrast allows close comparison of painted hair and pale fabric.

The white sheet gathers beneath the legs. Its folds register bodily weight and make the reclining position physically convincing.

A slender bird stand rises on the right. It connects the parrot with the domestic setting surrounding the model.

Dark clothing and a pale ribbon lie at the lower right. The discarded objects complete the setting for the pose.

Courbet asserted his Realist position through an independent exhibition in 1855 after rejection at the Exposition Universelle. Responses to this painting show his continuing, complicated relationship with official exhibition culture.