Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun

Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun was in her late teens when she painted this work. The identity of the male artist she depicts here is unknown to us today, but he may have been her teacher or advisor. Vigée Le Brun applied her fine drawing and modeling skills to animate his expression, using softer brushstrokes to describe the textures of his coat and cuffs. Seated before his own canvas, her sitter is captured in the act of making a preliminary drawing of a woman. His faint smile and engaging gaze suggest that he both appreciates and is charmed by Vigée Le Brun’s exceptional skills. She later became known for her portraits of Queen Marie Antoinette.