"Self-Portrait," Marie Benoist, 1786.
Marie-Guillemine Benoist (1768-1826) was obviously very talented, having painted this while only in her teens. And she went on to be an acclaimed neoclassical and historic painter. She was initially trained under Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun and later under Jacques-Louis David, so she had guidance from some of the top talent of her day.
She became an in-demand portraitist, and even had commissions from Napoleon Bonaparte himself. She enjoyed quite a big of success...until the Bonaparte era crumbled. In the face of growing conservatism in Europe, she tactfully retired from public life and only rarely painted.
I love the energy depicted here...it's so obviously the work of someone very young and very excited and confident.
From the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe.
#Art #SelfPortrait #NeoClassicism #MarieBenoist #WomenAritsts #WomenInArt
