Sleep
1771
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Jean-Bernard Restout
Jean-Bernard Restout (1732–1797) was a French artist, born in Paris.
See the richer artist page1771
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Sleep is a 1771 unspecified by Jean-Bernard Restout, a Rococo painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A young man lies asleep on a dark cloth, his head resting on one arm. White wings sprout from his back, and poppies scatter around him. This was once just a practice sketch—artists drew nude figures to learn anatomy. But Restout added wings and flowers, turning it into something more. The poppies hint at sleep’s power, while the wings suggest a dream visitor. It’s quiet, but the details make it feel like a story. To see how other artists turned practice poses into finished works, look up *chiaroscuro*.
The tradition of painting nude male figures in a studio setting was the cornerstone of artistic practice, teaching artists to depict the human body in complex poses in order to create larger narratives. However, by the late 1700s, some artists began to see these studies as independent works of art. By adding the wings and the poppies, Restout transformed his study into a more specific subject, and he first exhibited the work in a privately organized exhibition in 1783 under the title of Morpheus, the god of sleep.
A source of inspiration for this painting was probably the Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses , which describes the god of sleep as living in a cave with sleep-inducing poppies at the entrance.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Jean-Bernard Restout (1732–1797) was a French artist, born in Paris.
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