Although her story is less dramatic than Artemisia Gentileschi’s, French painter Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun’s history includes both success and exile. She is best known for her portraits of nobility, especially of Marie Antoinette and her family. As a favorite of the queen, she had to flee during the French revolution. Until she was able to return to France in 1804, she traveled from country to country; her work during this period includes a portrait of Catherine the Great’s granddaughters, Alexandra and Elena Pavlovna. She painted for decades and died at the age of 86.
Vigée Le Brun’s paintings seem far more conventional than Gentileschi’s, but they’re still beautiful. And while her portraits today do not raise eyebrows like Gentileschi’s Susanna or Judith, I found during my research that she caused a bit of scandal by painting herself smiling with an open mouth, which simply wasn’t done at the time.
My favorite paintings by Vigée Le Brun are her self-portraits. Like Gentileschi, she painted herself at work. I also love her paintings of herself with her daughter; while I’m certain that she was skilled at flattering her subjects, I believe the affection I see between mother and daughter was genuine.
Were you previously aware of this painter? Which of her portraits are your favorites?
