This painting was the hit of the controversial Salon of
1863. While crowds were dismayed by Manet's
Olympia with her direct gaze and unacceptable standards of modelling and composition,
Cabanel's Venus has all the refined eroticism that was expected by Salon-goers of the time. She
is idealised and devoid of any blemish or body hair. She is sexually passive, characterless, and
more perfect than is possible. Surrounded by masses of luxuriant hair, she is the ultimate male
fantasy, voluptuous yet chaste, as well as accommodating. Her form, a brilliant performance
of draughtsmanship and careful, systematic modelling, is the nineteenth century's version of
ancient and Renaissance styles.
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