| The Apotheosis of Homer | |
|---|---|
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| Artist | Ingres |
| Year | 1827 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 386 cm × 512 cm (152 in × 202 in) |
| Location | Louvre, Paris |
The Apotheosis of Homer is a grand 1827 painting by the French Neoclassical artistJean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, now exhibited at theLouvre as INV 5417. The symmetrical composition depictsHomer being crowned by a winged figure personifying Victory or the Universe. Forty-four additional figures pay homage to the poet in a kind of classical confession of faith.
A state commission to decorate a ceiling of the muséeCharles X at the Louvre (now the ancient Egyptian galleries), it formed part of a renovation project commissioned by Charles X to have himself remembered in the grand tradition ofBourbon building works at the Louvre. A condition of the commission was that it was to be completed within a year's time.[1] Upon receiving the commission, Ingres conceived the idea for his painting quickly—it was a source of pride to him that he had required only an hour to establish the broad outlines of his composition in a sketch.[1] The subsequent care he took in developing his idea is evident in more than 100 drawings and numerous painted sketches for it that survive, in which he fixed the details more and more precisely. Ingres's level of research can be seen in the painting's portrait ofNicolas Poussin, which is directly copied from Poussin's1650 self-portrait now in the Louvre.
The composition is a symmetrical grouping centered in aclassical way in front of anancient Greek temple. The painting's catalogue entry at the time of its first exhibition described it as "Homer receiving homage from all the great men ofGreece,Rome and modern times. The Universe crowns him,Herodotus burnsincense.[2] TheIliad andOdyssey sit at his feet."
The final painting's colours are very fresh and clear, giving the impression offresco. Ingres wished to compete withRaphael through this painting (it is strongly inspired by the Italian artist'sParnassus) and Raphael is to be seen top left (in black and white Renaissance dress), being led byApelles (in a blue cloak). Other figures shown includeDante who is shown being led byVirgil as in the former'sDivine Comedy (extreme left, behind Poussin) andMolière (right, by the feet of the personification of theOdyssey).
The art historianRobert Rosenblum saidThe Apotheosis of Homer represents "Ingres' most doctrinaire statement of his belief in a hierarchy of timeless values that are based on classical precedent."[3] It is highly successful in its genre, though leaves an impression of coldness, an impression which was reinforced at the time of its production by the exhibition ofDelacroix'sThe Death of Sardanapalus at the same year'sParis Salon. Ingres had been considered revolutionary early in his career, but this contrast now faced off aRomantic renewal under Delacroix against the purest classical tradition as shown by Ingres.The Apotheosis of Homer was taken down from its initial site in 1855 and replaced later that year with a copy by Paul and Raymond Balze (in collaboration with Michel Dumas).[4]
Surrounding Homer are poets, artists, and philosophers both ancient and modern—the modern personages are mostly confined to the lower register of the composition, although Ingres deemedRaphael andMichelangelo worthy of elevation to stand alongside the ancients. The figures are:[5]
Ingres revisited the subject in several later works, including an undated watercolour (Lille, Musée des Beaux-Arts) and paintings such asHomer and His Guide (1861; Brussels, Royal Collection) andThe Odyssey (Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts). In 1854 be began work on a drawing of the composition to be used as a model for the engraverCalamatta.[6] This drawing, in which Ingres announced his intention to "amplify and complete" his conception, was not completed until 1865,[6] as the artist deliberated at length in choosing the appropriate historical personages to be included. He ultimately added dozens of new figures, includingIctinus,Giulio Romano,John Flaxman,Jacques-Louis David,Pliny the Elder,Plutarch,Cosimo de Medici,Louis XIV, andPope Leo X.[5] Ingres also refined his selection by excluding Shakespeare, Tasso, and Camões from the 1865 drawing, as he had come to believe that they were too closely related to the Romantic tendency epitomized by his rival Delacroix.[5]
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