Nymphs and Satyr (French: Nymphes et un satyre) is an oil-on-canvas painting created by French artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau in 1873.
Nymphs and Satyr was exhibited in Paris at the 1873 Salon, which opened on 5 May, a year before the Impressionists mounted their first exhibition. One critic called it "the greatest painting of our generation". Purchased for 35,000 francs by the American art collector and speculator John Wolfe on 26 June, 1873, it was displayed in his mansion for many years alongside other high-style French academic paintings. It was sold at auction in 1888, after which the painting was displayed in the bar of the Hoffman House Hotel, New York City until 1901, when it was bought and stored in a warehouse, the buyer hoping to keep its 'offensive' content from the public.
Robert Sterling Clark discovered the piece in storage and acquired it in 1942. The piece is currently on display at the Clark Art Institute located in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Nymphs and Satyr provides examples of:
- Ambiguously Evil: While the nymphs seem playful, they are all crowding around the satyr and he seems adamant against joining them in the pond. Considering naiads —a type of water nymph— are sometimes known to drown the men they seduce, it is likely the same will happen here.
- Fauns and Satyrs: A satyr from Classical Mythology is being abducted by a group of nymphs. He has long ears and hoofed, hairy legs.
- The Noun and the Noun: The title is fashioned this way.
- Male Gaze: The highlighted backside of one of the nymphs is the clear focal point of the piece. It can take a while to even spot the satyr.
- Our Nudity Is Different: Common for Classical Mythology art, not a single character is clothed, the only bit of textile being a bit of translucent fabric a nymph is playfully wrapping around the satyr's arm. While all of the genitalia is tastefully censored with said fabric and a tree branch, breasts and butts are on full display.
- Our Nymphs Are Different: There are nearly a dozen nymphs, portrayed as being nude, beautiful women, a few in the background, and four playing with the satyr.
- Outdoor Bath Peeping: It's implied that the nymphs spot the satyr while he was taking a bath and, captivated by his beauty, they decide to abduct him.
- Sexual Euphemism: Considering the history between satyrs and nymphs, their playfulness probably goes beyond chaste. The Clarke Institute's analysis seems to think that the metaphor could be much darker, with the pond representing the act itself, the nymphs are "trying to dampen the satyr's ardor by pulling him into the cold water -- one of the satyr's hooves is already wet and he clearly wants to go no further." Considering satyrs are famous for being the horny bastards preying on nymphs, this can be seen as a case of Hoist by His Own Petard and The Hunter Becomes the Hunted.
- Teamwork Seduction: Four different nymphs all crowding around a single satyr to get him into the water seems to be this. One of them is waving at the group on shore as if she wants them to get involved too.
