Oedipus and the Sphinx is a painting by the FrenchNeoclassical artistJean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Originally a student work painted in 1808, it was enlarged and completed in 1827. The painting depictsOedipus explaining theriddle of the Sphinx. An oil painting on canvas, it measures 189 x 144 cm, and is in theLouvre, which acquired it in 1878.
The painting was begun in Rome, where Ingres had arrived belatedly in 1806 after winning theGrandPrix de Rome in 1801. Working in a studio on the grounds of theVilla Medici, Ingres continued his studies and, as required of every winner of thePrix, he sent works at regular intervals to Paris so his progress could be judged. As hisenvoi of 1808 Ingres sent a life-sizeFigure of Oedipus andThe Valpinçon Bather, hoping by these two paintings to demonstrate his mastery of the male and female nude.[1] The academicians were moderately critical of the treatment of light in both paintings, and considered the figures to be insufficiently idealized.[2]
Afterwards, Ingres retained theFigure of Oedipus in his studio for years. Around 1825 he decided to rework it to turn what was essentially a figure study into a more developed narrative scene.[3] He enlarged the canvas, adding 20 cm to the left edge, 31 cm to the top, and 31 cm to the right.[1] Within the expanded picture space he created a dramatic contrast between the brightly illuminated landscape seen in the distance, and the shadows that envelop the Sphinx.[1] Ingres modified the pose of the Sphinx and added the human remains seen in the lower left corner.[3] The fleeing man seen at the right, whose attitude and expression reveal Ingres's study ofPoussin, was also added at this time.[3] In November 1827 Ingres exhibited the finished work, along with two portraits, in theSalon, where they were well received.[4]
The painting is signed and dated 1808 at the lower left. Ingres soldOedipus and the Sphinx in 1829, and it entered the Louvre in 1878.[3]
A small oil sketch of ca. 1826 in which Ingres tested his composition before reworking the painting is in theNational Gallery, London.[1] It was once owned byEdgar Degas, who purchased it in 1897 or earlier.[5]
In 1864 Ingres painted a third version ofOedipus and the Sphinx, smaller than the first version, which reverses the composition and varies many details. It is in theWalters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland.[3]
