The Origin of the World–A Female Perspective
In 1866, maverick French artist Gustave Courbet painted one of the most iconic images in the history of art: a sexually explicit portrait of a woman’s exposed genitals—no head, no arms, and no legs. Audaciously titled “L’Origine du monde” (The Origin of the World), the scandalous painting was kept hidden for a century and a half. Today, it hangs in the d’Orsay Museum in Paris, viewed by millions of visitors a year and continues to elicit passionate reactions ranging from adoration to disgust.
Copy of L'Origine du monde, 2011, Lilianne Milgrom
Modern art critics have largely viewed the painting as a symbol of the male gaze so prevalent in art history. What happens when the painting is relentlessly exposed to the female gaze–and for that matter, the viewer herself? As the first artist authorized by the Orsay Museum to copy Gustave Courbet’s The Origin of the World, I was thrust into the painting’s intimate orbit, spending six weeks replicating every fold, crevice, and pubic hair. The experience of publicly painting a woman’s sex pushed me way out of my comfort zone. But with each passing week I found myself identifying with the painting in a metaphorical pas de deux. The more I felt personally exposed, the greater my sense of self-empowerment.
After completing my stint as the iconic painting’s copyist, I was left with myriad questions concerning the painting’s origins and its murky provenance. My recently released novel ‘L’Origine: The secret life of the world’s most erotic masterpiece’ is the result of ten years of research and writing. It follows my intimate adventure with Courbet’s masterpiece and traces the painting’s fascinating journey as it passed from hand to hand defying the odds of survival. But ‘L’Origine’ is more than a riveting romp through history–it underscores society’s complex relationship with female nudity and raises the question that echoes in Angelika’s masterful and sensitive photographs: Have women finally wrested control of the narrative regarding our own bodies?
About Lilianne Milgrom
Internationally acclaimed artist Lilianne Milgrom was born in Paris, grew up in Australia and divides her time between Israel and the United States. Milgrom holds two degrees from Melbourne University and an associate art degree from the Academy of Art in San Francisco. She has exhibited her artwork worldwide and is the recipient of numerous awards. Her published articles have appeared in publications such as The Huffington Post, Ceramics Art and Perception, Bonjour Paris and Daily Art Magazine. She currently lives in Washington DC with her husband while her grown children explore the world. L’Origine: The secret life of the world's most erotic masterpiece is her first book.
