A French painter known for his depictions of the female nude, Albert Joseph Pénot (1862-1930) was often inspired by the macabre and sinister. One of his darker works, La Femme Chauve-Souris (c. 1890), also known as Bat Woman, features a beautiful naked woman floating against an ambiguous cloudy sky, marked as occult by the large bat wings emerging from her back. Her sumptuous form is brightly lit from above, yet her intense stare out at the viewer is unnaturally lit from below, blurring the line between attraction and fear. While not considered a part of the art historical canon, the painting has a cult following, inspiring replication on prints, apparel, and more.

Learn more about the artist who painted this work HERE.