Feminist Art History and Self-Representation
Ambition in the Self-Portrait by Elisabeth-Louise Vigée-Le Brun
Aug 14, 2009
Although Vigée-Le Brun did not succeed in becoming an history painter, she was an accomplished portratist. The self-portrait shows her as a beautiful and wealthy high-society woman who fancies herself as a leisurely artist. But there just might be more to this portrait than the first impression.
Self-Portrayal of a Woman as Professional Artist
She painted herself in three-quarter length format as a woman of high social status and physical beauty, and as a fashionable socialite. She holds an elegant, relaxed pose, looks directly at the viewer whilst holding brushes and a palette. Her fine clothing is hardly suitable for the messy business of painting. This suggests that she wanted to be seen as a successful professional, confident in her abilities. It also indicates that she wanted to be perceived as a practitioner of painting as an endeavor intellectually superior to the practice of crafts traditionally associated with women.
Contrasting Theories on Madame Le Brun's Strategy
Within feminist art historical writing on Le Brun's work, there are contrasting theories and questions concerning her attitude in relation to canonical values. Emma Barker asks: '...did she simply conform to prevailing expectations of women or...did she assert her own, more positive self-image as a woman artist?'
Mary Sheriff sees Mme Le Brun's self-portrait as an active manipulation of a male viewer and exploiting her natural beauty to charm her audiences.
Rozsika Parker and Griselda Pollock suggest the opposite: they see Mme Le Brun as merely portraying herself as a beautiful socialite fulfilling the society's standard expectations, a more passive role. While Parker and Pollock insist that she conforms to the conventions by presenting herself as an object of desire, Sheriff claims that her painting was at the time perceived as an accomplished work of art by some commentators.
Self - Portrait as a Statement Talent and Beauty
Mme Le Brun portrayed herself in a manner that artists conventionally adopted to present themselves as professionals to potential clients demonstrating their skills of representation. But she hardly needed to attract patronage by self-advertising as she was already closely linked to the royal family and courtiers from whom she regularly received commissions.
Women's self-portraits of the preceding centuries typically suppressed physical attractiveness and material luxury and emphasized modesty. Le self-portrayal was a statement of a woman artist convinced of her own capability to equal her male counterparts without downplaying her feminity.
Vigée-Le Brun may have deliberately wished to draw attention to her appearance. She belonged in a social circle in which beauty and fashion were important part of lifestyle. She may have wished to appeal to both male and female audience, perhaps to make a point that beauty and talent can co-exist.
'Feminine' Technique
In terms of technique, the self-portrait features soft, curved outlines, delicate detailing and warm colours. All these aspects of painting were considered feminine.
The source of inspiration for this work was Rubens' The Straw Hat. She adapted its style to her own aim to represent herself as a capable master. She emulated the complex light effects for which Rubens was highly acclaimed. To achieve the same effects was to be as highly skilled the Old Master.
The Straw Hat was greatly admired at the time, although certain aspects of this painting seem to have feminine qualities, if judged by contemporary standards. The fact that Rubens chose to paint a portrait, and one of soft contours, delicate details and loose brushwork at that, may have served as a point of reference for Le Brun in order to show that 'feminine' treatment of a painting could gain a male artist acclaim whereas women's art failed to be fully appreciated.
Source:
Perry, Gill: Gender and Art, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1999
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