Gerome

And speaking of learning about new artists - or at least artists that are new to me (and what I don't know could easily fill the Pacific Ocean, sadly), here's a painting, Sale of a Slave, by Jean Leon Gerome, from 1884. Sadly, I didn't know anything about Gerome until visiting the Hermitage. Certainly the nude slave in the middle of the painting is beautifully rendered and her skin, especially in the darkness of the slave market, is radiant and speaks of purity (even if it's purity that will not last long) - but there's also a calmness and a dignity about her. The painting that it reminded me of, in an odd way, is the Last Supper, in that in the middle of the chaos she (like Christ in the Last Supper) provides stability and serenity. The fact that Gerome had her right hand partially covering her face adds to the mystery because it is impossible to completely understand her emotions. The painting to me also speaks of the universal female condition, then and now.