Joan of Arc by Jules Bastien-Lepage

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Joan of Arc
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Most people in the Western world know the story of Joan of Arc. The young, French peasant girl became a hero of the Hundred Years' War when she spurred the French army on to victory after receiving instructions from various saints through visions. She was later canonized as a saint after her death. Her extraordinary story has made Joan of Arc a popular subject for artists throughout Western history.

French artist Jules Bastien-Lepage’s portrait of the young saint is particularly striking. The painting is interesting because it is intended to be realistic. The modern Realist movement was born in the eighteenth century, and Realist painters devoted themselves to capturing everyday life with all its flaws, rejecting the airbrushed, idealized style that characterized other artistic movements.

Bastien-Lepage’s painting of Joan of Arc depicts her as a peasant girl, dressed in simple, faded clothes as she stands in the yard of a small, unremarkable house. Unlike other paintings of the young saint, her surroundings seem believable and she lacks the unrealistic beauty and perfection that other artists awarded her. Her eyes are particularly striking. The saint stares into thin air with rapt attention; her bright blue eyes convey her spiritual exaltation, Behind her, three semi-transparent figures hover in the air, representing the three saints who instructed Joan of Arc in her spiritual mission.

It is interesting to see how Bastien-Lepage uses a realist style to approach a topic that is imbued in mysticism and spiritual energy. It is not an ordinary topic for a realist painter. However, Bastien-Lepage’s stylistic choice serves to make the saint’s experience feel more real, making the radical decision to portray spiritual reality in the physical world.

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.

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