Truth 1891

Henri Fantin-Latour made this painting called "Truth" with oil on canvas. The painting's composition centers on a nude female figure, softly illuminated against a darker backdrop. Her skin is rendered with delicate brushstrokes that emphasize form, while the fabric draped around her has subtle variations in tone and texture. She is glancing to the right, away from the small round mirror in her left hand. Fantin-Latour uses light and shadow to create an atmosphere that is both revealing and concealing. This evokes ideas about truth—suggesting that truth is not always what is immediately visible but requires a deeper understanding. It could be argued that the painting encourages a critical engagement with representation itself. The painting's formal qualities invite us to question how we construct meaning from visual experience. The artist uses tonal contrasts to imply that truth might be complex, always partially hidden, or subject to interpretation.