The Interior of a Woman Painter's Studio
Although she painted this work in 1789, Lemoine could not exhibit it at the prestigious Paris Salon until 1796, when post-Revolutionary reforms greatly expanded women artists’ access to the official art world. The title suggests an ideal or generic depiction of women artists, but those close to Lemoine recognized a self-portrait with her sister Marie Elisabeth, who was also a painter. Lemoine’s skills in still life and portraiture, categories in which women most often trained, are readily visible, but a history painting—the highest category in the academic system and usually considered in this period as ill-suited to women—is underway on the easel in the scene.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Interior of a Woman Painter's Studio
- Artist: Marie Victoire Lemoine (French, Paris 1754–1820 Paris)
- Date: 1789
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 45 7/8 x 35 in. (116.5 x 88.9 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Thorneycroft Ryle, 1957
- Object Number: 57.103
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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