In this artwork, how is the Parody discussed?
Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, also a post-impressionist painter, created: The Sacred Grove, Parody of a Painting by Puvis de Chavannes Exhibited at the Salon of 1884 as a parody of the original The Sacred Grove, Beloved of the Arts and Muses. It is also an oil on canvas, however is different in size compared to the original and the showcase piece with dimensions of 172 x 380 cm. Lautrec's piece mimics the subject matter and style of the original, using the fresco technique of applying paint to create a matte surface. Lautrec created the parody after viewing the original showcase piece at the 1884 Paris Salon. It was never intended for public exhibition and was simply poking fun at Puvis. The parody adds additional features to the original, including a clock affixed to the classical portico, a tube of artist's paint held by one of the angels and a parade of men made up of artists wearing periodical Parisian dress. Lautrec included himself in his work as one of the men and is urinating on the ground. The parody further simplifies the original through its use of less detailed figures and undefined landscape. It is currently on display at the Princeton University Art Museum in an exhibition titled: “Invoking the Comic Muse: Toulouse-Lautrec’s Parody of ‘The Sacred Grove’”.A caricature was also created by Albert Robida for La Caricature, a French satirical journal. Critics were complaining that the painting simplified the human body to the point that each figure in The Sacred Grove were merely a copy of the others, a point which this parody emphasised. All of the muses have similar features and are posing in ways that are unnatural and hysteric, marking the original painting as a joke.
Paris Salon Albert Robida French Muses Princeton University Art Museum Henri de Toulouse Lautrec muses Paris La Caricature