Title: Madame Antonie Size: 91 cm x 91 cm Medium: Oil paint on canvas Completion: April 2022 - Exhibition Text-Madame Antonie is a 91 x 91 cm self portrait, made with oil paints on canvas. This piece is meant to closely resemble the painting 'Madame Grande' by Louise Elisabeth Vigee LeBrun, a classical French rococo portrait. I chose this artist and this painting because I greatly admire the rococo style and the art of LeBrun, and wanted to depict myself if the same decadent, ornate clothing that was often seen in French portraits.
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- Inspiration -
- Process -
The last thing I did before starting anything on my canvas was experiment with oil paints. This was my first time working in oils, and didn't know anything about the dry time or how well it blended. I practiced with painting some blue silk, and with some skin colors. I used a lot of linseed oil to make the paint super smooth and viscous. After doing so I found out that while oil paints are incredibly easy to blend and to work with, the dry time is incredibly long! It took more than 4 days for my tiny, thin patches of paint to completely dry. I knew then to use a lot less linseed oil when mixing my paints.
Next I started to paint my background. I used black mixed in with a little bit of brown to give the painting more depth and to make it seem more realistic. I used a very thick layer, and it took a while to dry. Something that I noticed during this was that the paint continued to look very wet and shiny even after the paint had dried. Once I knew it was dry, I moved onto the gold trim of the chaise lounge. I deviated slightly from the look of Madame Grande in this part by improvising the detailing and making it my own. As the trimming got closer to the right side of the painting and into the darkness, I mixed my paint with a very dark brown and some grey and added less and less details. For the fabric on the chair, I used mostly black and brown with a deep emerald green for highlights. This way, the color of the chair was deep and dark, instead of something bright and distracting from the main subject- me.
Because this was my first time painting something this large in oil paints, I was very excited to start painting the face because that was something I had excelled in in other pieces. I started by painting the shadows on the face first and working my way out with lighter colors. As I worked my way leftwards, I noticed something that I probably should have thought about earlier- that I had nowhere to place my hand on the canvas when I was working on the left side of the face. This made it slightly difficult. I used a bright magenta and mixed it in with the color of the skin that I had already been using for the lips. I started with the lightest colors and went back in with a deep brown to create the corners of the mouth. For the eyes, I painted the whites and then went back in with greyish greens and black to get my exact eye color. I added highlights on the inner corners and edges of the eyelid to give it some shine and make it look realistic.
After the completion of the face, I moved on to the remaining visible skin on the subject. I started with the highlights on the neck, on my collarbone and the veins. I gradually added brown and deep red to my skin-tone to create shadows and worked my way outwards from the brightest parts. For the hands, I started with the darkest tones and worked my way outwards to the highlights. I added highlights onto the knuckles of the left hand to give it more depth, and made them just slightly more pink than the rest of the hand. I went back in and blended everything out, and then added shading and highlights to the veils of the hand to make it appear more realistic. I didn't include and fingernails because although they were slightly visible in the image, I didn't want to mess up what I already had.
The dress that I would be wearing in this piece was my biggest concern before starting it. LeBrun included many different textures that all appeared very realistic- you could tell that the dress was velvety with a sheer layer on top, with the bows being made of silk or satin. I wanted to replicate these textures but wasn't sure if I had the technical skill to carry it out. I blocked in highlights and shadows on the folds and then blended them out to create a more smooth and blended look to the clothing. I went back in with highlights to create some sharper edges and give it a silkier look. I then used a thin brush to do tiny lace details and create a mesh texture over the original dress fabrics. I used a floral pattern, and attempted to replicate the same lace seen in the dress in Madame Grande. For the wider mesh bands I went back in with highlights to give them a silky texture as well.
The final aspect of my painting was the hair. I used a large brush and mixed a brown color with a bit of gold, magenta, and black. I blocked in the shadows of the hair first. As I moved left I added more gold and magenta to recreate my dirty-brown hair color. I blocked that side of the hair in and and then used the larger brush to add general highlights and hair coloring. After it was all blocked in I used a slightly thinner brush to create the texture of hair along my skin and on the dress. Using the same thinner brush I added more highlight and shadow details to the hair. I kept on adding layers of lighter paint onto the hair, but because of the texture of the paint it tended to just blend in with the larger color instead of creating distinct lines.
- Critique -
Similarities include:
- Shared pose of the subject. In both pieces, the subject leans against the armrest of a chaise. They lie in the center of the canvas facing the left. This creates a balance of negative space on either side of the subject.
- Realism. Both pieces follow rococo style portraits, with soft blending but sharp, intricate details. These small details seen in the replication of the dress and in the lace.
- Angle of lighting. The lighting highlights the face of the subject. It comes from above and to the left of the subject, and creates a high contrast in the piece.
- Background. The black background of the piece creates a focus on the subject and makes the painting feel less crowded and busy.
- Color palette. My work attempts to replicate the same colors of the dress and the chair as in Madame Grande.
- Shared pose of the subject. In both pieces, the subject leans against the armrest of a chaise. They lie in the center of the canvas facing the left. This creates a balance of negative space on either side of the subject.
- Realism. Both pieces follow rococo style portraits, with soft blending but sharp, intricate details. These small details seen in the replication of the dress and in the lace.
- Angle of lighting. The lighting highlights the face of the subject. It comes from above and to the left of the subject, and creates a high contrast in the piece.
- Background. The black background of the piece creates a focus on the subject and makes the painting feel less crowded and busy.
- Color palette. My work attempts to replicate the same colors of the dress and the chair as in Madame Grande.
Differences include:
- Color palette. While my piece attempts to replicate the same colors in the dress and in the chair, the hues seen in Madame Grande have cooler undertones than in mine. This is seen especially in the pigmentation of the skin and the lighting.
- The angle. The angle seen in Madame Grande is slightly lower than the one in mine. The lower angle here creates a softer tone to the piece. The subject tilts her head up slightly so we can see her nostrils, and she gazes upwards. The angle and posing of my piece creates a more assertive tone that is less feminine and dainty.
- Use of highlights. The highlights in Madame Grande, especially in the fabrics of the piece- the bow and dress- are used much more liberally and it makes the piece looks much lighter.
- Color palette. While my piece attempts to replicate the same colors in the dress and in the chair, the hues seen in Madame Grande have cooler undertones than in mine. This is seen especially in the pigmentation of the skin and the lighting.
- The angle. The angle seen in Madame Grande is slightly lower than the one in mine. The lower angle here creates a softer tone to the piece. The subject tilts her head up slightly so we can see her nostrils, and she gazes upwards. The angle and posing of my piece creates a more assertive tone that is less feminine and dainty.
- Use of highlights. The highlights in Madame Grande, especially in the fabrics of the piece- the bow and dress- are used much more liberally and it makes the piece looks much lighter.
- Reflection -
Out of all the works I have made so far, I have probably dedicated the most time and effort into this one. It was my first time working with oil paints and I learned a lot about my blending technique, along with shading, highlights, and proportions and anatomy. My goal was to make it as realistic as I could, and I think that I did a good job doing that given my skill set. Because I now have experience with oil paints, and loved the result of my piece, I would like to work with them a lot more in the future. The biggest challenge with this project was probably painting fabric and the clothing. It could have been more realistic and sharper. I'm very proud of this piece, especially the hands. The hands by far are my favorite part, and I hope that anyone who sees this piece appreciates how realistic I painted the hand.
- Bibliography -
Self Portrait of Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
Madame Grande- Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun- 1783
Madame Grande- Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun- 1783