Jo, La Belle Irlandaise, Gustave Courbet, 1865-66
By Nabiha
The painting named “Jo ,La Belle Irlandaise” is an oil on canvas painting made by the french painter Gustave Courbet around 1865. Gustave was a Realist artist, which is a mid-19th century European art movement that depicts everyday life in a naturalistic way that rejects the idea of idealization. This painting depicts a sultry and moody ginger woman running her hands through her hair while looking into a mirror. The realistic painting with fine brush strokes and almost no empty spaces depicts a relatable scenario for many women with the very vivid waves painted into her hair that depicts wavy hair texture and the red painted on her cheeks that resemble rosacea on her pale skin . The realistic style of painting almost feels like you are looking into a mirror as she looks into her own reflection.
When I first saw this painting, what caught my eye was the expression on her face. Most paintings I had seen were of people posing with the intention or to paint some sort of whimsical situation but this woman was just a woman in her bed analyzing herself not posing nor looking at the viewer. She was in her own element though it seemed she was melancholy which was very visible at first look. This style of melancholy and almost snapshot of a moment is really related to Realism because this shows a woman in her natural state where she is not posing for the portrait but almost like she doesn’t know she is being painted. I was intrigued by the background and the situation behind it. When I read the description attached to the painting it all made sense.
The title stands for “Jo the beautiful Irish woman” which is very interesting because on the Met website it talks about how the model, Joanna Hiffernan, was Courbet’s model but also a long time mistress which people also speculate to be his lover. I assume her saddened gaze into the mirror represents her feeling of being the other woman and just the mistress. This was around the time in French painting where French men loved to use women and their bodies as their paint subject and Courbet says “The beauty of a superb redhead whose portrait I have begun.” But never mentions her as his mistress.
The feeling and the background makes me wonder why Courbet made 3 versions of this painting with minor changes. Did he understand her thoughts and her position? This Realist style of painting is very interesting and can make the viewer feel something when you feel like you’re looking at a picture or still in time. Though there is not much information on this painting, the attraction and the detail to the things like the color on her face and the wrinkles on her hand feel as though I am watching that woman watch herself .
Bibliography
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=Gustave
https://www.gustave-courbet.com/
https://nelson-atkins.org/fpc/nineteenth-century-realism-barbizon/506/
