historyslvttt

[historyslvttt]

okay i’m gonna talk a little bit about my favorite painting bc i’m here for art history too. (this is also my profile pic lol)

The Reluctant Bride (La Fiancée Hésitante), an 1866 oil painting by August Toulmouche.

it depicts a young blonde woman wearing a white dress, sitting and attended to by 3 other young women, while she breaks the 4th wall like CRAZY

basically, what i love about this painting isn’t the story behind it (it’s pretty basic, it’s a girl looking not-so-pleased before her wedding day) but the ways it can be interpreted. this can be seen in its rise to attention on tiktok in 2023.

it was noted in a tiktok as a depiction of feminine rage, which i feel is very apt, given the young woman’s expression. the rise of popularity for this painting also gave rise to art inspired by it, which is the whole point of art inspired my eyes. (that’s a discussion for another time but let me know if you want to hear my thoughts!)

so that’s the painting. lmk if art history interests you guys and i will certainly post more :)