Self-portrait by Angelica Kauffmann, circa 1770 to 1775.
A fixture of the Parisian art scene, Morisot was positioned for commercial and artistic success.
Despite these difficulties,female paintersadvanced new techniques and pioneered new styles of representing their subjects.
“Self-portrait” by Angelica Kauffmann, circa 1770 to 1775. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
They painted emperors, kings, and princesses.
Their works were coveted by nobles across Europe and robber barons across the Atlantic.
Often, their works have been mistakenly attributed to men by (typically male) viewers and scholars.
“Portrait of Ferdinand IV of Naples, and his Family” by Angelica Kauffmann, 1783. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
The genius of female painters is still being recognized as works are reappraised and female artists rediscovered.
Learn about female painters from 18th and 19th century Europe who have been pioneers in their fields.
As a young woman, she also trained in Italy where her historical paintings and portraits were well received.
“Marie Antoinette and her Children,” by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, 1787. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Aside from her popular portraits of aristocratic sitters, the artist depicted many classical and allegorical scenes.
She was a prominent figure among her contemporary Neoclassical painters in the late 18th century.
Today, her portraits of the doomed French Queen Marie Antoinette are well known.
“Young Woman with a Parrot,” by Rosalba Carriera, circa 1730. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
At the time, the portraits raised Le Brun’s profile among the courtiers of theAncien Regime.
Like other Neoclassical painters, she at times depicted her subjects as characters from mythology.
Rosalba Carriera (1673-1757)
Young Woman with a Parrot, by Rosalba Carriera, circa 1730.
“Le Chat Angora,” by Marguerite Gérard and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 1780s. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
(Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Rosalba Carrierawasborn in Venice.
Unlike many female artists, she did not learn to paint from a male family member.
They were so popular thatforgeries began appearing.
“Self-portrait With Two Pupils,” by Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, 1785. (Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain)
She then made her mark in the realm of portraiture by using pastels to create dreamy Rococo images.
Pastels were not a popular medium for formal portraiture until Carriera popularized them.
Marguerite Gerard (1761-1837)
Le Chat Angora, by Marguerite Gerard and Jean-Honore Fragonard, 1780s.
“Marie Joséphine Charlotte du Val d’Ognes,” by Marie-Denise Villers, 1801. (Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain)
The elder Gerard sister painted miniatures while her husband was a well-respected Rococo painter.
The younger Gerardlearned from Fragonard.
First, she seems to have practiced by copying his paintings in her own etchings.
“The Highland Shepherd,” by Rosa Bonheur, 1859. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
As a painter, she focused on genre art depicting scenes from everyday life.
Her work was popular with aristocratic patrons.
Her 1806 workThe Clemency of Napoleonwas purchased by the emperor himself.
“Girl with Chrysanthemums,” by Olga Boznańska, 1894. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons. Public domain)
Adelaide Labille-Guiard (1749-1803)
Self-portrait With Two Pupils, by Adelaide Labille-Guiard, 1785.
Her bold, fashionable depictions of elite women were greatly admired.
Labille-Guiard is often remembered for her subtle statements on the place of women as students of the arts.
“The Artist’s Sister at a Window,” by Berthe Morisot, 1869. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Marie-Denise Villers (1774-1821)
Marie Josephine Charlotte du Val d’Ognes, by Marie-Denise Villers, 1801.
The above Neoclassical work depicts the young Marie Josephine Charlotte du Val d’Ognes.
It was long thought to be a painting by David.
Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899)
The Highland Shepherd, by Rosa Bonheur, 1859.
Living in a French country chateau she purchased, Bonheur never married.
She was the first female artist awarded theLegion dHonneurafter Empress Eugenie visited her studio.
The empress famously declared that Genius has no sex after viewing Bonheur’s paintings.
Bonheur became very famous during her lifetime.
She met countless heads of state and was appreciated by the artistic likes of Eugene Delacroix and John Ruskin.
She found success in the Paris Salon and was received as a celebrity of the art world in London.
The enormous canvas now hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Olga Boznansk (1865-1940)a
Girl with Chrysanthemums, by Olga Boznanska, 1894.
(Photo:Wikimedia Commons.
Public domain)
The Polish painterOlga Boznanskbegan her professional career in Krakow in the late 1880s.
She studied with artists in Germany and learned to specialize in portraits.
At the turn of the century, she moved to Paris.
She was awarded theLegion dHonneurin 1912, among countless other honors.
Boznansk primarily painted portraits of women and children, often with flowers and a sense of innocence.
Although she overlapped with the tail-end of the Impressionism heyday, she did not consider herself among them.
Berthe Morisot
The Artist’s Sister at a Window, by Berthe Morisot, 1869.
Her works were in oil, watercolor, and pastel.
But from formal portraits to Parisian scenes, her paintings hang in the world’s finest art museums.
Socially, Morisot was of an upper-class background.
She was the great-niece of Jean-Honore Fragonardthe artist who trained Marguerite Gerard.
Morisot married Eugene Manet, brother of her friend the painter Edouard Manet.
Edouard Manet painted Morisot several times and would go on to paint her daughter Julie as well.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir would also paint mother and daughter.
Despite the predominantly masculine world of the Impressionist painters, Morisot was respected for her talent.
Today, the works of Morisot are as coveted as many of her male contemporaries.
