RT Journal
A1 Harris JC
T1 PYgmalion in love with his statue
JF Archives of General Psychiatry
JO Archives of General Psychiatry
YR 2010
FD February 1
VO 67
IS 2
SP 110
OP 110
DO 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.198
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.198
AB 
Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson's (1767-1824) last major work was a painting of Pygmalion and Galatea; it was intended to be his masterpiece. Girodet labored over the painting, which was commissioned by a patron, for nearly 7 years before its eventual exhibition at the Paris Salon in 1819. Even then it arrived late, possibly to increase the suspense after being rumored for so long. It was hung shortly before the exhibit was to close. Despite its tardy arrival, the painting created a sensation and was immediately controversial.2 With the restoration of the monarchy following Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat, Girodet sought to reintroduce neoclassical themes in painting. Both painter and poet, he hoped to serve as a bridge between the artistic policies of the ancien régime (old order) and those of the Restoration; he sought to forge a new artistic sensibility that combined intellectual refinement and sensuality.2Pygmalion in Love With His Statue was meant to represent this new sensibility.