Script:

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard was a revolutionary before the revolution. She sought to make women in art normal. Their access to art education unlimited with the ability to use to a broad range of mediums. all while fortifying the matriarchal artistic line, which allowed for women to be given more credit, as opposed to their agency being erased by over-crediting the men around them. In this podcast, I will be talking about the artistic revolution she was key in. I will do this by discussing how she reframed the women artist through her painting “Self-portrait with Two Pupils” made in 1785.

In this painting, Adélaïde is sitting on a gilded green chair, she is centered in the frame, her students eagerly standing behind her. They are all viewed in full body composition and are depicted comfortably close, the two young artists side hugging each other and leaning towards Adélaïde. Their luxuriously depicted selves only take up half of the composition, the rest is open space setting the scene in a studio, or a room of sorts riddled with artistic materials. The left half of the painting is mainly dedicated to the back of an easel. There is also a wooden chest’s open lid just visible behind Labille-Guiard. peeking up from behind the chest and the easel, are also two softly depicted statues. The background wall of the scene illuminated from a deep forest green to a lighter mossy green behind these classical statues. this is the only thing allowing your eyes to escape from the decorous women to the artistic materials casually depicted throughout the scene.

The owner of these artistic tools, Adélaïde, sits poised, turned at a 45-degree angle, her body facing the easel that sits in the left corner of the compositions, the image she is painting only visible to her students behind, though only one of her pupils looks at the painting, the others look at you, the viewer. This makes you question if it is your portrait she is painting or the very self-portrait of her you look at now. However, it is prominently of her creation. as the portion of the large easel that we are able to view has Adélaïdes inscription displayed to us. She has set her left foot lightly on the easel, bringing your attention to her left arm which rests in her lap and cradles a painting pallet, displaying it in the center of her body, this same hand holds a bushel of various paintbrushes and keeps a long Mahl Stick in her lap. Her right hand actively dips her paintbrush in the paint on her pallet. She is actively painting but her attire is quite eloquent. This was normal in the artist's self-portrait of the day, but she was renowned for... doing it best. She grew up immersed in the world of mercantile fashion, so she had taste. Adélaïde’s attire is of the highest fashion of the time. She sits with a feminine countenance in the most modern silky soft blue dress, with white frilly accents, that hug her chest. The dress flares out, in a voluptuous manner, from her waist, with a volume of gorgeous fabric, the sky blue silk shines its reflection even visible on the shiny wooden floorboards beneath her. Her sleeves puff ever so slightly at the shoulder, the folds showing the luxury of the fabric, and her ability to portray it. This is mimicked in the seat in which she is poised. The ruffles of the fabric pull on the green velvet and engraved gold chair allowing you to feel the lushness, highlighting the curvature and plushness with grandeur. She knew how to showcase her artistic skill through her display of rich diverse cloth, texture, and shine.

She grew up in Paris, on the same street as her father, a very successful Boutique, known for its high-class clientele. She was incredibly close to her father, he supported her artistic pursuits, and they also were the only ones left of her previously large family. Her mother had died in 1768 when she was about 20. By the time she painted this portrait, at the age of 36 she was the last of her 8 siblings to be alive. Her connection with her closeness with her father allowed her to navigate the scandal of the art world. Typically women learned from their fathers or uncles but her father was not an artist in a painting sense. However, she was very privileged through him, as she lived in an artistic community and was rich, white, catholic, and had a good family name. This allowed her to go to her neighbors for education, neighbors who were some of the most renowned artists of the time. She had inherited her family's business and networking skills, and their knowledge of proper and exquisite attire, and used this as a foundation for her artistic education.

As for her education, she was taught by the protestant miniaturist François-Èlie Vincent, and the best pastelist of the time Maurice-Quinten de La Tour. With their guidance, she became proficient in both by 1774. And through de La Tour she met her artistic matron, Marie Suzanne Giroust who joined the academy in 1770. Her husband, Alexander Roselin, would later nominate Labille-Guiard to the academy in 1783. (1) Another matron of Adélaïde’s was Claude-Catherine Pahin who hosted a salon where she showcased women's work when women's work was never showcased. This was pivotal to Adélaïde's profession and success. These two women’s matronage may be why she was so keen on her role as a matron. (2) François-Èlie Vincent’s son François-André Vincent became quite close with Labille-Guiard, teaching her how to oil paint and being the cause of many scandals in her life. Scandal that she was quite artful in evading. Her profession was crafting one's image after all.

One of these tactics was her reliance on other women. There was a gossip paper that suggested that Labille-Guiard had an affair with her previous husband whom she legally divorced, with Vincent, the son, while she and her ex were still together. This was something that followed her throughout life. She sent a letter to the countess not the count about the scandal. In the letter she talked about what her father must be feeling when reading the gross accusations when he should be hearing criticism and discussion of her art. She framed herself as a family figure, a daughter trying to make her father proud, and an artist just doing her job when instead she is maliciously attacked, specifically mentioning that it was in a way that is not allowed under the king, as the publication was not authorized for print. (3)

This is another tactic she used to stay out of scandal, particularly ones based on sexual promiscuity. She would continuously depict herself as a daughter. She does this in her self-portrait. Through the two sculptures, the closer one is of her father. She displays this familial nature through the presence of her father. Showcasing her as a daughter. The two young woman behind her almost look as if they are her own daughters. Making her not just a matron and teacher but continuing the daughter depiction that brings a sense of chastity. The second sculpture does this as well as it is a depiction of a vestal virgin who was committed to decades of virginity. This allowed Adélaïde to depict herself in almost a sensuousmanner, she was allowed to be feminine and in the most modern showy attire because of the devout imagery of devotion to her family and religion. Femininity was viewed as something that was to be hidden, women were left at home, it was rare to be out in society as a woman and when you were it was very promiscuous. For her to have a full-body depiction of herself without dramaticized modesty, like her two students, or any hint of masculine attire. This became very normal in the next century, women artists needed to dress masculine to be considered more digestible, it was viewed that if you were out in society you must be masculine. If you were a woman and out in society you were viewed as provocative, unreserved, immodest. (4)

This portrait specifically emphasized her love of fashion and ability to shape the feminine identity, for herself and others. Her ability to toe the line of socialized femininity was one of her most prized traits as a portraitist, she could make a woman look absolutely divine, dressed beautifully, and display their feminine figure without demeaning them or bringing them into scandal. When painted by her: one could have a feminine beauty and countenance while being active in society and not scandalized. Remember she grew up a merchant's daughter, she was always around dresses and surrounded by fabrics and textures. She loved fashion, it is said that she bought more dresses than Queen Antoinette. (5) She knew how to dress a woman. How to display a body, and attire is a form of portraitism in itself, she's just taking it a step further. The dress that she wears in this portrait is wholly reminiscent of that. The folds of the fabric are captured with such detail, and so is the texture of the silky blue. She has such an attention to detail and creation that you can see the hand-stitched seam, running down her leg in a sensuous manner. A call to her fellow artists in sewing. She sits at the edge of her seat to make space for the voluptuous flowing fabric to bunch and fold behind her, layering open to unveil the underlayer of her dress in an exhibition of feminine consumption, setting forth all that goes into this display of her. She has a low-cut square neckline with delicate white lace ruffled around the edges, that begs for your attention, with a white silk voluptuous bow placed at the center of her chest that draws your eye to the lace and bow that is mimicked at her mid-sleeve cuff, and the paint pallet that these all surround. The artist displays herself in a most modern and grand way, with lace, voluminosity, and an airy lightness. She is deliberately feminized to depict a sensual nature. Relying on the sculptures around her to give the context of modesty.

The two pupils excitedly standing behind her are Marie Gabrielle Capet and Marguerite Carreaux de Rosemond aredressed far more modestly, though still in modern attire. Capet is viewed in a full body portrait-length, she is dressed in a greenish brown dress the same cut as Adélaïde, however, Capet is depicted with a shear gray covering over her shoulders and chest that matches the ruffles of her sleeves and the cap on her head. Capet excitedly leans forward, her hand touching the gold outline of Adélaïde’s chair. She looks at Adélaïde’s painting with gentile awe and immersion. Rosemond, however, looks at us, in keen acknowledgement. The three women's faces are depicted with a young rosy look, much like how a daughter would be depicted. Rosemond is standing more hidden than the others, placed in between Adélaïde’s large sumptuous curved, and flowing hat and Capet, who her arm wraps around. Rosemond is dressed in a muted white dress that is quite flat fitting, though still in a modern design. Adélaïde portrays the students so modestly as there were some scandals and vulgar insinuations going around of immodest women in the academy so it makes sense for her to put more effort into protecting them by depicting them with more modesty.

Women in the academy were a rare sight and were heavily scandalized and scrutinized. Adélaïde was one of four allowed in at her time. Her depiction of the next generation of artists was a way for her to push the academy to accept more women students. Her push for more women in the academy was scandalous. It was also scandalous for her to be teaching her pupils oil painting. (6) There is quite a lot of scandal revolving around the medium that she is painting and paintedherself in. Women in this time were largely restricted to only miniature painting and pastel painting. She was taught by a renowned miniaturist and one of the best pastel painters at the time. But she also was a great oil painter. And this is something she proudly displayed to show that women could do it and do it well. People often did not mention her work in oil, and when they did it was only in a way to make her sound like her husband's student. Oil painting was a higher form of ability and people didn't want to promote women doing this. This is why the self-portrait of her is done in oil painting and she is actively painting and oil painting, her hand dipping the paintbrush in the pain on her pallet. and the only people in the room were her and two other women, who else would be painting it besides a woman, and then it is a woman teaching a woman, and she becomes the teacher, not the student. This is also why she displays all sorts of art utensils throughout this portrait, she is proficient in a slew of mediums of art, in making such as chalk pastel, and oil painting, or depicting, such as sewing and sculpture. Showing her braude knowledge and proficiency as an artist. She needed to constantly re-position her agency in her art-making because of her relation to men, which is something you can't get around in a male-dominated field. So I'm going to give you the run down on her husbands.

It is said that people wanted her and Vincent to get married since the 1760's which seems a little ripe for me, I would say 1768 at the earliest. This would make her about 19, the reason they did not is because she was catholic and Vincent was a protestant, which did not settle well with pops. So she married a man from 1774 until 1779 when they legally divorced. The problem with this is that it is thought that Vincent taught her how to oil paint around 1777, two years prior to her divorce from Guiard, her ex. This is when all the affair rumors stem. She did not get married to Vincent immediately after her divorce and even moved to a safe house with Vincent, his brother, and some students in 1793 to be safe from the revolution. She did end up finally marrying Vincent in 1799, 2 decades after her previous husband. (7) This seemed to be a good choice for her as after she married Vincent, she began being only referred to as Vincent’s wife and student. People often said that Vincent painted much of her paintings and gave him credit for much of her work. This was a very normal accusation for women who painted, much like Morisot and Manet. Women were not believed to be able to paint professionally, or be a part of commerce, they were not viewed as able to be a part of intellectual and artistic discourse in society, but rather to craft to rid their boredom at home. So credit was often given to the husband when they refuted and proved that this was a mistaken ideologie.

Many art historians add to this, saying that her work to make the number of women in the academy unlimited, in turn, did not help her as she no longer stood out, and this was the root of why she is lesser known.(8) But I disagree that it was a new saturation of women artists in the market. I also believe that this devalues her position as an artist because her art does not stand out because she is a woman but because her work is phenomenal for all the reasons why I stated above, reasons that were not just because a man taught her how to use oil paint but because she knew how to portray someone, she knew how to portray the identity of her sitters and create their narrative, because she was incredibly talented at depicting textures and beauty. I credit her later hidden expertise to the crude level of erasure of her agency in her artwork, which was instead given to her later husband by the media portraying her. This is why it is so important to study a depiction of herself by herself.

I do want to make clear that it is not just her talent that makes me call her a revolutionary, it is because she pushed the development of the matriarchal artistic line, she was a huge advocate for what we call the women supporting women movement. Even when she would be pinned against other women in her field. (9) It is her agency and activism in ensuringthat other women have access to knowledge.

Footnotes:

1. Laura Auricchio “Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: Artist in the Age of Revolution.”

2. Heidi A. Strobel. "Royal 'Matronage' of Women Artists in the Late-18th Century."

3. Laura Auricchio "Self-Promotion in Adélaïde Labille-Guiard's 1785 Self-Portrait with Two Students." Art Bulletin.

4. Berlanstein, Lenard R. 2004. "Historicizing and Gendering Celebrity Culture: Famous Women in Nineteenth-Century France." Journal of Women's History

5. Laura Auricchio “Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: Artist in the Age of Revolution.”

6. Jessica L. Fripp. “Portraiture and Friendship in Enlightenment France.”

7. Laura Auricchio “Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: Artist in the Age of Revolution.”

8. Laura Auricchio “Adélaide Labille-Guiard: Artist in the Age of Revolution.”

9. Jessica L. Fripp. "Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: Artist, Friend, Teacher."

Works Cited:

Laura Auricchio “Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: Artist in the Age of Revolution.” Los Angeles, 2009, cat. no. A12, p. 122, ill.

Laura Auricchio "Self-Promotion in Adélaïde Labille-Guiard's 1785 Self-Portrait with Two Students." Art Bulletin. New York, March 2007.

Heidi A. Strobel. "Royal 'Matronage' of Women Artists in the Late-18th Century." Woman's Art Journal 26 (Fall 2005–Winter 2006), pp. 6–7, ill. on cover (color).

Berlanstein, Lenard R. 2004. "Historicizing and Gendering Celebrity Culture: Famous Women in Nineteenth-Century France." Journal of Women's History 16(4): 65-91,234. https://lib-proxy01.skidmore.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/historic izing-gendering-celebrity-culture-famous/docview/203247537/se-2.

Bridget Quinn. Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (in that Order). San Francisco, 2017, pp. 39–42, 44–46, 54, ill. (color).

Jessica L. Fripp. “Portraiture and Friendship in Enlightenment France.” Newark, Delaware 2020, pp. 104–7, 219 n. 78, ill. on cover and fig. 3.10 (color),

Jessica L. Fripp. "Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: Artist, Friend, Teacher." Art Herstory (April 11, 2021), ill. (color, overall and detail) [https://artherstory.net/adelaide-labille-guiard-artist-friend- teacher/].