Jules Lefebvre: The Grasshopper (1872)

https://danielearte.instabio.cc

A woman is depicted in the painting standing in front of a white wall. The woman is naked and she appears to be hungry as she bites her finger while staring at the viewer. She holds in one hand a white veil that is insufficient to cover her. Next to her is a plant that is losing its leaves; this is a sign that winter is approaching. The subject is derived from Jean de La Fontaine's adaptation of Aesop's fable "The Cicada and the Ant." When Lefebvre exhibited the painting at the Salon, he recited a verse from La Fontaine's version: "When the bee arrived" (When the cold north wind came). Aesop relates that during the summer, the ant worked to store food for the winter, while the cicada sang and danced. With the arrival of the autumn wind, the naked cicada realizes her vulnerability to a winter season as naked as she is. It is believed that Lefebvre was motivated to complete this work by recent events in French history, such as the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, Napoleon III's lack of preparation, the economic crisis, and the Paris Commune.

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