The Clemency of Augustus François André Vincent (French; 1746–1816) ca. 1787–88 Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of red chalk; perspective lines in graphite The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The artist here depicts the concluding scene of Pierre Corneille’s 1641 play, Cinna
Cupid and Psyche Jacques-Louis David (French; 1748–1825) 1813 Gray wash and pen and black ink with white paint and traces of black chalk The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
The Mourning of Pallas Anne Louis Girodet-Trioson (French; 1767–1824) ca. 1790–93 Pen and brown ink, brush, and gray and brown wash, heightened with white The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Design for an illustration in Pierre Didot the Elder’s 1798 edition of the works of Virgil
Man Stepping to the Right Jacques-Louis David (French; 1748–1825), attributed to ca. 1770s Black chalk with white highlights Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, New Jersey
The Muse Erato Writing Verses Inspired by Love Charles Meynier (French; 1768–1832) ca. 1797 Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash, heightened with white gouache over black chalk underdrawing; squared in black chalk The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
American Crescent Cycles. 1899. Frederick Winthrop Ramsdell.
42 ¾ x 62 7/8 in./108.6 x 159.8 cm
Ramsdell studied at the Art Students League of New York, then left for Paris, where his work was shown at the Paris Salon between 1891 and 1898. This was the sweet spot for the French advertising poster, of course, and especially the work of Eugene Grasset, whose style Ramsdell appropriates in spectacular style.
Elizabeth Jane Gardner (1837-1922) “La Confidence” (1880) Oil on canvas mounted on aluminium Located in the Georgia Art Museum, Athens, United States
Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau was among the first wave of Americans who sought art training in Paris after the Civil War.
Bouguereau arrived in Paris in 1864 and began studying contemporary and old-master paintings. While Paris beckoned all artists, women were still barred from studying at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. Undaunted by these discriminatory practices, Bouguereau enrolled in private classes.
In 1868, she was one of the first American women to exhibit at the Paris Salon, along with Mary Cassatt. Bouguereau’s paintings were accepted into 25 Paris Salons; she also won a bronze medal at the 1889 Exposition Universelle. By the late 1870s, she was studying with William-Adolphe Bouguereau, whose use of rich color and portrayals of children and domestic scenes were widely acclaimed.
Religious, historical, and mythological subject matter dominated Bouguereau’s early art production. She acknowledged that her work was strongly influenced by William-Adolphe (to whom she became engaged in 1879 but did not marry until 1896). She made her own way by producing works in a monumental style most often associated with male artists.