Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun

Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun; Capturing Life While Living Life Have you ever looked at a piece of art and wondered how it could be based on real life, because it was just so beautiful? Well Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun was able to paint in such new and exciting ways; people were left wondering just this. Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun was a woman of many talents. In her life time she came up with new ways of painting, revolutionized fashion in France, and overcame any prejudice thinking because she was a woman. Before dying at the age of eighty-seven, she had gained the respect of women and men all across the world. Being a female artist in the eighteenth century was not easy, especially when you had to keep a career and your life together during the French Revolution. But Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun is still respected for being able to do all of these things today (Encyclopedia of World Biography 402-403). Throughout her life Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun lived an amazing, and gifted life, coming up with new ways of painting that captured the attention of anyone who saw them. Her art was seen throughout France, Italy, Austria, and Russia. She is well known for her genius way of painting, and professionalism as an artist. Vigee Le Brun painted more than 660 pieces in France and other countries before and after the French Revolution. She was able to combine her talent as a painter with her charming personality. Her portraits make every woman or man in them look exquisite, almost near perfection. Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun was one of the most successful artists of her time, which was unusual for a woman in the eighteenth century. The work she is most famous for today are the paintings she did in 1779. These were her series of portraits of Queen Marie Antoinette. Over the next ten years she painted the Queen more than 30 times, bringing instant fame to Vigee Le Brun (Steadman). It all started in Paris, on April 6, 1755 when Louis Vigee and Jeanne gave birth to their first child, a new born

Cited: Bleiberg, Edward I., John Block Friedman, James Allan Evans, Kristen Mossler Figg, and Philip M. Soergel, eds. Arts & Humanities Through the Eras. Vol. 5. Belmont: Thomson Gale, 2004. Print. Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 19. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Print. P.402-403 Moffat, Charles. "Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun: Biography & Art - The Art History Archive." The Lilith Gallery of Toronto. 2007. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. <http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/rococo/Elisabeth-Vigee-Lebrun.html>. Mossman, Jennifer, ed. "Elisabeth Vigee LeBrun." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 19. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. Print. Oliver, Bette W. "Moved by Love: Inspired Artists and Deviant Women in Eighteenth-Century France. (Book review)." Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. Canadian Journal of History, Dec. 2005. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. Steadman, Kandace. "Elisabeth Vigee-LeBrun: a woman of independent means." Student Resource Center - Gold. School Arts, 1995. Web. 17 Feb. 2010.