''The Enigma'' is an oil-on-canvas painting executed in 1871 by French artist

Gustave Doré Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6January 1832 – 23January 1883) was a French printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engravings illustrati ...

. It is held in the

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) () is a museum in Paris, France, on the Rive Gauche, Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts railway station built from 1898 to 1900. The museum holds mai ...

, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

History and description

The painting was created in 1871, in the aftermath of the French defeat at the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

and the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

, and it testifies to his dark historical context. Doré was from

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

, and as such felt deeply the loss of

Alsace–Lorraine Alsace–Lorraine (German language, German: ''Elsaß–Lothringen''), officially the Imperial Territory of Alsace–Lorraine (), was a territory of the German Empire, located in modern-day France. It was established in 1871 by the German Empire ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. At first sight, the painting surprises with its uniform and almost monochrome appearance, which underlines an atmosphere of desolation and death, with corpses on a battlefield and burning cities on the horizon. At the left, there is an abandoned cannon, while the corpse of a mother clutches her dead child, with a dead civilian by her side, possibly her husband. Two corpses of dead soldiers lie at her right. The classic elements of the representation of war are present in this depiction. Another dead soldier is seen at the right, and the legs of another one are behind him. The two central figures have a strong symbolism, and with their presence the work tries to reach the unspeakable: a winged figure, possibly representing the angel of Humanity, or perhaps Consciousness, is on his knees before the Sphinx, begging her to reveal the reason for the eternal enigma which causes conflict and war between men. They stare at each other, while holding each others head and talking, both with a poignant look.

Legacy

In 1884, the painting was exhibited at the posthumous sale of the artist's works, with two similarly themed canvases ''The Black Eagle of Prussia'' and ''The Defense of Paris'', all three under the common title ''Souvenirs de 1870''. During the sale of the painter's works, it was accompanied by two verses by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

, excerpts from his poem "At the Arc de Triomphe" from ''Les Voix Interieures'' (1837), chosen by Doré himself: "What a spectacle! Thus dies everything that man creates!/ A past such as this is a deep abyss for the soul!" The painting was bought by the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

in 1982, and since the same year it has been in the collection of the

, also in

.L'Enigme, Musée d'Orsay
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enigma, The 1871 paintings Paintings by Gustave Doré Allegorical paintings by French artists War paintings Paintings in the Musée d'Orsay