Le bouquet 1857

Alfred Stevens created this captivating oil painting of a woman gazing into a mirror. The composition is structured by the interplay of light and reflection, drawing our eye through the mirrored image. The texture of the wallpaper, the velvet dress, and the bouquet add to the experience. Stevens uses a complex play of gazes and frames to explore the construction of identity. The mirror does more than reflect; it presents a constructed image, questioning notions of self and representation. The bouquet of flowers on the table functions as a signifier, suggesting themes of beauty and temporality. The woman’s gaze is central to the semiotic structure. It invites us to question what is real and what is merely a reflection. The painting destabilizes traditional representation by blurring the lines between interiority and exteriority, reality and artifice.