Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Portrait of Marie-Antoinette with the Rose, 1783, oil on canvas, 44.5” x 34.3”, Palace of Versailles, Versailles, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Make the Time: Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun at The Met
An exhibition of works of art by the brilliant French portraitist Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun currently is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Because her primary patrons were members of the French aristocracy, Le Brun had to flee France during the French Revolution. During her exile, she enjoyed success painting in the courts of Italy, Germany, and Russia before returning to Paris in 1809.
Le Brun worked in the frivolousrococo style that was closely associated with aristocrats at the time. Influenced by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, she was known as an exceptional colorist. Her style also is marked by its sensual quality.
Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Portrait of Marie-Antoinette with the Rose, 1783, oil on canvas, 44.5” x 34.3”, Palace of Versailles, Versailles, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.