Nicolas de Largillière, a French artist known mainly for his portraits of the upper bourgeoisie, painted Portrait of a Woman in 1696 with oil on canvas. It can be found hanging in the European galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Due to a lack of evidence, the identity of the sitter has been widely debated. What can be gathered from records and documentation is that it appears to be either Madame Marie de Thorigny or Hélène de Thorigny; two women from the same wealthy family that Largillière had painted for in the past.
The viewer’s eye begins in the upper left-hand corner and is captured by the peaceful spilling of water from a fountain into a soft hand. An elegant woman’s supple fingers curl, feeling the water. She gazes into the viewer’s eyes with rosy cheeks and smooth skin. The viewer is taken aback by her overwhelming elegance. Her hair is of the latest style, her dress is of the finest stitching and …show more content…
The image wields her involvement with both domestic and international culture like a social badge. It highlights her immense power, style, and wealth–all through the placement of different shades of white.
Bright beads of water bounce near the woman’s intricate geometric lace-cuffs. Streams of water from the fountain billow over the white face of a parrot and exotic plants below. In between those white details are dull shades of brown with pops of color to balance the image.
Largillière creates a hierarchy of shade and chooses specifically what he would like the viewer to pay the most attention to by giving the crispest most important details the brightest shades of white. Through careful separation and placement of the pigments he guides the viewer’s eye to the most lavish details of the sitter’s life. He is forcing the viewer to look at this woman’s international connections, the wealth that implies, and the style that comes with owning it
The viewer’s eye begins in the upper left-hand corner and is captured by the peaceful spilling of water from a fountain into a soft hand. An elegant woman’s supple fingers curl, feeling the water. She gazes into the viewer’s eyes with rosy cheeks and smooth skin. The viewer is taken aback by her overwhelming elegance. Her hair is of the latest style, her dress is of the finest stitching and …show more content…
The image wields her involvement with both domestic and international culture like a social badge. It highlights her immense power, style, and wealth–all through the placement of different shades of white.
Bright beads of water bounce near the woman’s intricate geometric lace-cuffs. Streams of water from the fountain billow over the white face of a parrot and exotic plants below. In between those white details are dull shades of brown with pops of color to balance the image.
Largillière creates a hierarchy of shade and chooses specifically what he would like the viewer to pay the most attention to by giving the crispest most important details the brightest shades of white. Through careful separation and placement of the pigments he guides the viewer’s eye to the most lavish details of the sitter’s life. He is forcing the viewer to look at this woman’s international connections, the wealth that implies, and the style that comes with owning it