Rembrandt 1606-1669

 ‘undoubtedly the greatest interpreter of the human personality in the history of painting’
(Morrall, 1988)
 Young and optimistic culture in the recently independent Dutch Republic, formed 1581
 Known for portraiture and biblical narrative; studied own face extensively (over 60 self-
portraits are known) helped him with understanding of emotion, expression and personality
 Son of a miller – Harman van Rijn
 Enrolled at Leyden University age 14, probably to study theology; left after a few months
 Public taste turned away from his work midway through his career meaning his final years
were full of debt, loss of patrons, and deaths of loved ones (Andrews, 2016)
 Married Saskia in 1634, drew that sketch 3 days after they got engaged. Tough time together
– three of their four children died in infancy, there was a plague outbreak from 1635
 Better few years around 1639 – super successful
 But then his mum died in 1640, Saskia died in 1642, one son (Titus) lived til age 27 but died
the year before Rembrandt did…holy moly
 (Titus had a baby daughter though so he wasn’t completely alone which is slightly less
heartbreaking)

Lebrun 1755-1842

 Known for ‘portraits of sensibility’ – portraits that emphasise spontaneous emotions,

compassion, and love of nature (Tate Gallery Online, 2017)
 Trained at the Academie de Saint-Luc from 1774 which increased her popularity through
opportunities for professional exposure
 Married Jean-Baptiste, an art dealer, in 1776, they had one daughter (Jeanne-Julie-Louise)
 ‘Quintessential eighteenth-century court painter – an unusually attractive, charming, self-
confident woman with the ability to present her sitters to their best advantage’ (Heller,
1987)
 Kept both her head and reputation during time of political upheaval in France
 Painted at least 30 portraits of Marie Antoinette, who helped Lebrun get accepted at the
Academie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1783 (very prestigious, few women allowed)
 Went roaming across Europe (Italy, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Germany, also six years in
Russia) during French revolution which meant she lost her citizenship; fellow artists
petitioned for it to be restored. Returned to France 1805, JB died 1813, JJL died 1819.
(biography.com, 2017)

Saskia as Flora

 Reflects contemporary ‘nostalgia for the simple virtues of country life’ (Louttit, 1973)
 Fashionable at the same time, high waistline and closeness to bodice neckline reflect 1630s
bourgeois fashion whilst also being pastoral. Headband substitutes hair
 Glorification; idea that arcadian dress reflected purity of spirit and true simplicity (Louttit,
1973). Contemporary pastoral poets equated city clothes with falsity in love.
  Chiaroscuro allows all focus to fall on the subject, not distracted by background although
there are some subtle floral details on top left. Emphasises use of light; source coming from
the top left draws eye to face/chest/ornate detail on dress.
 Thick impasto paint adds texture to fabric. Can see individual brushstrokes in person, 3D –
shadows from the paint ridges mimic shadows that would fall from the real fabric. Also
achieves softness of hair and skin by building up thin layers of oil paint.
 Colours include pale lemon-gold like a spring sunrise, grass green for most of dress, gentle
copper of luxurious soft hair – all very mellow, blend together, harmonious – reflects
idealised vision
 Facial expression is warm and kind, Rembrandt showing off expertise at capturing
personality and expressing his love for his wife
 Symbolism of staff – establishes pastoral themes of shepherdess. Also retrospectively very
sad because staff a sign of weakness (needing the support) and Sas would die 7 years later.
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 Sprig in her hair and the bouquet she holds solidifies identity as Flora, goddess of Spring.
Bouquet beautiful but dark and wilting; Rembrandt simultaneously shows immortality (by
immortalising Saskia as a goddess through this painting) and mortality (by the wilting of the
flowers and the unintentional heartbreaking foreshadowing of her death).

The Queen as Marie

 Chiaroscuro again which contrasts with paleness of her face and dress
 Sweeping curved lines of the fabrics of her dress, the feather plumes and soft hand posture
reflects delicacy and femininity
 Balanced colour palette – hues of grey, pink and gold are distributed evenly, providing
harmony to the painting
 Scandalous as this chemise dress was basically underwear, there was contemporary uproar
(I’ll show you the second version of the painting on the next slide)
 Lebrun intended this to seem casual, not show the queen as a superior monarch

Compare and contrast

 Saskia is dressed in unrealistic, ornate costume, in character of Flora; Queen has exchanged
her usual extravagant dress for a much more vulnerable presentation in character of Marie
 Subjects renowned for different personalities; Saskia’s warmth vs Marie’s famous frivolity
 Lighting effects; R’s subtlety and shading, light used sparingly but effectively. L’s SPOTLIGHT
means although the costume is comparatively simple, it’s still a grand spectacle of a painting
 R’s flowers symbolise the goddess of Spring, L’s flowers are just because flowers are pretty
 Different purposes: R a loving expression of his wife’s beauty, L commission from the queen
 Same chiaroscuro. Political surroundings – formation of Dutch Republic 1581, French
Revolution would happen 1789-99 (following America’s independence in 1776).
 Both subjects died young – Sas of probably TB aged 30, Marie beheaded age 37
 Subjects from wealthy families – Sas’s father was a Frisian mayor, Marie’s mum was Empress
of Austria and her dad was Holy Roman Emperor
 Both paintings, in different ways, glorify simplicity; that of a country shepherdess looking her
best, and that of a queen looking exposed
Bibliography
Andrews, J., 2016. This Is Rembrandt. London: Laurence King Publishing.

biography.com, 2017. Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun Biography. [Online]

Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/elisabeth-vig%C3%A9e-le-brun-37280

Heller, N. G., 1987. Woman Artists: An Illustrated History. New York: Cross River Press.

Louttit, M., 1973. The Romantic Dress of Saskia van Ulenborch: Its Pastoral and Theatrical
Associations. The Burlington Magazine, pp. 317-326.

Morrall, A., 1988. The History and Techniques of the Great Masters. Surrey: Tiger Books International
Ltd.

Tate Gallery Online, 2017. Gainsborough: Room 4: Sensibility. [Online]

Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/gainsborough/gainsborough-
room-4-sensibility