Classicism1786
Self-Portrait with Her Daughter, Julie
Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
Curator's Eye
"The circular embrace of the two bodies, the vibrant red antique-style drapery, and the artist's smile revealing her teeth, a scandal at the time."
A manifesto of fusional motherhood, this portrait revolutionized the 18th-century female image by replacing aristocratic pomp with the natural expression of feelings.
Analysis
Painted in 1786, this portrait of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun with her daughter Julie is a pivotal work from the reign of Louis XVI. The artist, Marie-Antoinette's official portraitist, moves away from courtly representation codes to embrace an aesthetic inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau's theories on education and maternal love. In the historical context of the late Ancien Régime, the work becomes a political and social manifesto: it values the loving, educating mother, a central figure of the new bourgeois morality appearing among the aristocracy.
Stylistically, the work marks the advent of sentimental Neoclassicism. Vigée Le Brun abandons powdered wigs and cumbersome panniers for a freer hairstyle and a draped dress reminiscent of Greek statues. The explanation of the "myth" here is human rather than divine: the myth of the perfect mother, a secularized "Madonna and Child." The psychology is intensely rare; the artist's gaze, turned toward the viewer, invites us to witness this domestic happiness, while little Julie completely abandons herself in her mother's arms.
Vigée Le Brun's technique is distinguished by a porcelain finish and masterful texture management. Her treatment of satin, cotton, and skin reflects meticulous observation of light. The complexion of the faces is brilliantly fresh, achieved through layered transparent glazes that provide a sense of life. Unlike her contemporaries, she uses a restricted but powerful color palette, dominated by the red of the drapery which focuses attention and symbolizes maternal passion.
Finally, the work reflects a desire for eternity. By choosing "antique-style" clothing, Vigée Le Brun sought to extract her portrait from ephemeral Versailles fashion to place it in the timeless. This bold approach puts the individual and their feelings above social rank. The work is not just a portrait of a famous woman painter; it is an affirmation of female identity as a creative and nurturing force, capable of self-publishing with a dignity previously reserved for men.
One of the most fascinating secrets is the scandal caused by the smile. Vigée Le Brun is depicted smiling, showing her teeth. For contemporary critics, this departure from convention was judged "monstrous" and unworthy of a serious portrait. Yet, it was a deliberate choice by the artist to capture spontaneous joy, breaking with the rigidity of state portraits.
Recent scientific analysis using infrared reflectography revealed that the position of Julie's arms was modified several times. Initially, the child was held less tightly. This change shows the artist sought to accentuate the "protective circle" to strengthen the fusional aspect of the scene. Furthermore, the pigments used for the red garment are of exceptional quality, derived from cochineal, explaining their intact brilliance after centuries.
Another mystery concerns the complex relationship between the artist and her daughter. While the painting shows perfect harmony, the historical reality was darker: Julie would eventually break all contact with her mother after a disapproved marriage, making this painting a vestige of a lost paradise. Finally, this portrait served as a model for numerous clandestine copies as early as the 18th century, proving the "ideal mother" image was already a prized visual commodity before the industrial revolution.
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