Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun Self-Portrait
Despicable forms of unjustifiable prejudice and ignorance occurs all around us, and it is something we can not change permanently. That is the case of an “obscure” artist, Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun. Roderick Conway Morris’s article Vigée Le Brun: A Delayed Tribute to a French Trailblazer, insightfully brings to attention the artwork by this successful female painter who suffered as an “object of envy and the target of vitriolic, often misogynistic libels in the anti-establishment press during the years leading up to the French Revolution.” Her work has been salvaged in the last few decades and valuable research was carried out in the rediscovery process.
What was interesting about her monographic exhibition of 160 works that will start in Paris, then to the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and finally the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, is that the narration of her artwork drew on the contemporary documents and her “Memoirs,” written between 1825 and 1837. So it not only gives the audience their perspective on her work, but also what she endured through her time period to generate a better understanding.
Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun has an uncanny resemblance as a portraitist, and lifestyle to John Singer Sargent in that her parents, especially her father pushed her to come into contact with the art world. It is notable that her father, a pastel artist, Louis Vigor declared “You will be a painter, my child, if ever there was one.” At the age of 12, the burgeoning artist lost her father and first teacher to a “botched medical operation,” and her mother was forced by economic circumstances to remarry to a man her daughter came to detest. She was later encouraged by her mother to pursue her art education to distract herself from her unhappiness. By the time she was 15, Louise had her own studio, which attracted an augmenting prestigious series of sitters. However, the financial rewards went to her avaricious stepfather, who appropriated the fees she was paid.
Vigée Le Brun’s portrait of Varvara Ivanovna Ladomirskaya (1800).
Later around 1776, Louise married Jean-Baptiste Pierre Le Brun, an artist and picture dealer, who turned out to be a “philanderer, addicted to gambling and prostitutes,” and also took her earnings. Although she had to struggle in such a filthy environment, her husband’s own professional expertise and collection of old masters and prints helped Louise to expand her artistic horizons and perfect her painting techniques.
A portrait of the Duchess of Polignac (1782), by Vigée Le Brun.
Soon, as Louise’s fame grew, she became a quasi-official, and extremely well-paid, court artist. However, the artist’s privileged position at court, in particular, “exposed her to increasingly scurrilous accusations, among them that her rise was entirely thanks to her sexual charms and that she did not even paint her own pictures.” Fearing the dangers of possible arrest and execution, Louise later fled to Italy, and was exiled for 12 years from France. Surprisingly, these years were highly productive. According to Morris, “In the majestic procession of portraits from this period she fully manifests her sheer brilliance as a colorist and her ability to convey not just the beauty but the erotic magnetism of some of her sitters.”In addition, her travels inspired her to make hundreds of landscapes in pastels and oils.
Indeed, Louise, much like Sargent, was truly “married to her art.” She even wrote in her “Memoirs”: “The passion for painting was innate in me. This passion has never diminished; indeed, I believe it has only increased with time. Moreover, it is to this divine passion that I owe not only my fortune but also my happiness.” Such a painter suffered through so many obstacles in life, but persevered through in the determination and dedication to what she loved. However, beyond the rise from her struggle, Louise’s story brings to attention that society should not criticize and diminish an individual’s brilliance because of his or her gender. Because of what her own French brethren did to her, she was forgotten until now.
Lady Hamilton
“The passion for painting was innate in me.” I can’t recall the last time someone said that. Many thing came to mind after reading this post. One of them is the fact that her artwork connects with her memoirs, unlike Sargent who has almost little documentation on his life and artwork. I find it interesting that her life is so much similar to Sargents in that they both had parents who inspired them to pursue art. Many times, it seems to be the parents who determine the future career of the kids, regardless of the time period. This got me thinking. If parents inspire their children to become artists more, would I still seldom exposed to art?
it is truly a shame that this artist lived such a hard life and did not receive the fame that she deserved. She was practically a slave in France. The portraits that she painted are easily on the level of Sargent if not even more detailed. I’m glad that Le Brun is finally getting recognition, hopefully her work will bring awareness to other disadvantaged female artists.
I really liked reading your blog post. This is another example of women not getting the credit they deserve and this is particularly a very interesting example because the woman has a “career” in art. Mainly, men were the artists and women were the subjects. But for someone, especially a woman, to start creating art and expressing her own interpretation and ideas was truly radical at that time. It’s no surprise she didn’t receive the recognition she deserved. I’m glad to see that she now is.
It’s so disappointing to see how due to her sex she was targeted and had to flee from her country. Her artworks were hidden and so was her talent. Her paintings are truly beautiful and a work of art, yet she was not given credit for them. Her sex allowed her to be targeted by others who were jealous of her. And despite her harsh childhood and even as an adult, she is still able to portray the beauty of her subjects. Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun is an unbelievably remarkable woman who deserves so much more credit and recognition than how much she has now.
Your blog post really opened my eyes to the plight female artists faced in the past and perhaps even now. Every time we learn of some famous painter in history, it is always a man. I never gave any thought to the women who may have painted but received no credit for their work. The worst part about Louise’s story are the accusations that she did not paint her own pictures and her rise to fame was due to her “sexual charms.” I’m happy that this story has come out and perhaps now, people can finally appreciate Louise’s work.
I feel that it is a shame that Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun was not given the fame and notoriety that her work rightfully deserves. This is actually a downfall that I see in art. Brand names are everything. Le Brun’s paintings are comparable to Sargent’s but because she did not “pop up” like other artists she was sadly kicked to the curb. I classify it as a downfall but I don’t even know how to say it. One person can spend there whole lives as an artist and creating thoughtful paintings but if those are not “in” than their career is a bust. I think it is sometimes luck of the draw