Vigée-Lebrun, Élisabeth

(1755-1842)

   painter

   A much-sought-after portraitist, Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun was born in Paris and studied painting with her father, joseph vernet, and jean-baptiste grueze. Her portrait of marie Antoinette, done in 1779, established her reputation and was the first of many that she would do for the queen (La Reine et ses enfants, 1787). In her paintings, Vigée-Lebrun conveys great sense of personal dignity and royalty, and her compositions show the influence of the artistic theories of jean-jacques rousseau and dénis Diderot. She often gave her subjects compassionate, soft expressions and underscored their grace and style. Around 1785, inspired by jacques-louis David, she purified her style using more profiles and giving a more studied and traditional appearance to her models, as reflected in her well-known self-portrait with her daughter (Mme Vigée-Lebrun et sa fille, 1789). In 1783, she became a member of the Royal Academy and in 1789 left France to travel throughout Europe. she returned in 1802 and 1810 settled in Louveciennes. Between 1835 and 1837, she published her memoirs (Souvenirs). Vigée-Lebrun is considered a prodigious painter, producing perhaps more than 800 canvases, with many of her subjects being members of the nobility. Her style is a combination of rococo delicacy combined with the neoclassical ideals of purity and simplicity.