Marie Bracquemond was born in December 1840 and died in January 1916 in France. She was a French Impressionist artist, described in 1894 by Gustave Geffroy as one of “the three great ladies” of Impressionism along with Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt. Her background contrasts sharply with the cultural framework, prosperity, and stability of other Impressionist women – Cassatt, Morisot, Gonzalès.
Woman in the Garden, 1877 (Oil painting on canvas in private collection) by Bracquemond reveals her origins in academic painting. In 1859, she was accepted as a student of the legendary painter, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Although I learned a lot from my French teacher, she later reflects that she was afraid of his strict nature and observed that Ingres treats his female students in some different ways than his male students. She wrote: “Monsieur Ingres’ severity scares me because he doubts the courage and perseverance of a woman in the field of painting. He will label them only with pictures of flowers, fruit, still life, genre portraits and scenes.”. Besides, the important art critic, Philippe Burty, called Bracquemond “one of the brightest students in Ingres’ studio”.
Woman in the Garden – 1877
Bracquemond’s early portraits are examples of Academic Realism. Here is a babysitter, the artist’s sister, Louise, who often modeled for her, sitting on a garden chair. The ragged train in her white robe spilled into the space between the young woman and the onlooker. Her delicate hands rest on the back of the chair, perhaps the most profound allusion to Bracquemond’s teacher, Ingres. Her graceful fingertips are polished to near perfection, as well as the practice of Ingres, known for his often subtle and elegant humanoid deformities.
Louise is framed by the deep green of the lush garden behind her. In this picture, probably created at least half a decade after Bracquemond left Ingres’ studio, the artist is still using delicate brushstrokes in his early career before Impressionism. Another picture, a woman in a white shirt, is almost like this one both in style and subject. In fact, “Lady in White”, or “Woman in White”, became a popular subject for impressionist painters.
Afternoon Tea (The Snack) -1880
Throughout my career, Bracquemond continues to create works of art. From drawings and prints to finished paintings, in a somewhat limited range of topics: domestic scenes, portraits, landscapes, and still life. These are the standard themes for Impressionist women, because of their gender and class, they are all middle-class or upper-class women – limited in what and where they can draw. Eg, it wouldn’t have been suitable for a woman artist in the 19th century to paint a nude person, whether male or female. Women are “suitable” because it is impossible to move in the modern city without a chaperone, so the Impressionists could not create scenes of the genre that became a common relationship with many of their male colleagues, such as lively scenes at bars and dancing.
On the Terrace at Sèvres – 1880
In 1890, she created nine etchings which were displayed at the second exhibition of the Society of Painters-Etchers at Galeries Durand-Reul.
Under the lamp – 1887
Bracquemond is known to be a recluse, especially when she gets old. In 1890, Marie Bracquemond, tired of constant friction in the family and depressed because of a lack of interest in his work, gave up his paintings except for a few private works. One of her last paintings was The Artist’s Son and Sister in the Garden of Sèvres.
She died in Paris in 1916.
Synthetic: Theartstory & Impressionistsgallery
