Marie Bracquemond was the least-known among the Three ‘Grand Dames’ – Morisot, Cassatt, and Bracquemond.)

In 1928 French art historian Henri F’ocillon wrote that ‘there were three ‘grand dames’ of Impressionism: Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, and Marie Bracquemond. Of these, Marie Bracquemond is arguably the least known. Morisot and Cassatt were lucky enough to find help from their families’ class and connections in furthering their painting career to greater heights. It helped them greatly in overcoming the sexist barriers in the painting arena at that time. However, Bracquemond was not so lucky.

Her Successful Early Days

Marie Bracquemond (1840-1916) came from a humble and unstable upbringing. She was the child of an unhappy arranged marriage. Her father died shortly after her birth. Bracquemond’s mother remarried and kept moving from place to place before settling at a place in the south of France. As a teenager, Bracquemond trained with a local painter Auguste Vassor. In spite of the fact that she was largely self-taught and her artistic education was not much to brag about, Bracquemond tasted her first success when one of her paintings received acceptance in the Paris Salon. This also turned out to be an occasion for her to become acquainted with the famous artist Jean Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Bracquemond began training with him in his studio. She was aged only 17 at the time.

Her short stint with artist Jan Auguste-Dominique Ingres

The critic Philippe Burty referred to her as ‘one of the most intelligent pupils in Ingres’ studio. Bracquemond had to part with Ingres, reportedly, because of his sexist views. She wrote in her letter in 1860 that “Monsieur Ingres frightened her because he doubted the courage and perseverance of a woman in the field of painting. He would assign to them only the painting of flower, of fruits of still lives, portraits and genre scenes” Once she left his studio, Bracquemond kept getting commissions that helped her build her painting career. She came to be recognized as one of the first impressionist painters who began painting outdoors. Many of Barcquomond’s best-known works were painted outdoors especially in her garden at Sevres. One of her last paintings was ‘The Artist’s Son and Sister in the Garden at Sevres’.

Her Marriage and further Commissions

Bracquemond participated in the exhibition of the Impressionists three times; in 1879, 1880, and 1886. In 1879 and 1880, some of her drawings were published in La Vie Moderne. In 1881, she exhibited five of her works at the Dudley Gallery in London. Bracquemond began receiving commissions, including one from the court of Empress Eugenie, the Empress of France and wife of Napoleon III. Besides this, the Director-General of French Museums also commissioned her to copy more paintings in the Louvre.

Her Marriage, a Boon or a Bane?

This was when Bracquemond met and married her husband, Felix Bracquemond, who, thereupon, introduced her to his artist friends, such as Millet, Corot, Degas, and Rodin. Her mother was opposed to their marriage. However, Marie and Felix remained engaged for two years before marrying in Aug 1869. Initially, Felix, her husband, helped her secure some other commissions. Besides the commissions that she received through her husband, she also became involved in his work for the Haviland Limoges Factory, where he was the artistic director.

His Experimentation with effects of light

In her painting ‘The Muses’, she designed plates for dinner services and tin-glazed earthenware. This painting was shown at the Universal Exhibition of 1878. The sketch used for the design was shown at the Impressionist Exhibition of 1879. The well-known painter Edgar Degas became one of Bracquemond’s greatest admirers. From the late 1870s, Bracquenond began sketching and painting en Plein air and Monet Renoir and Degas became her mentors. Monet was the one who motivated Bracquemond to join the Impressionist movement.

Her Well-known Paintings

Marie Bracquomond’s fascination with the colouristic effects on white resulted in her paintings such as ‘Woman in white’ and ‘On the Terrace at Sevres‘. Both these paintings appeared in the 1880 exhibition. Barcquomond’s painting ‘Woman in White’ became an archetypal Impressionist motif around the world. ‘Tea Time’ and ‘Under the Lamp‘ are two other paintings that are examples of Bracquemond’s experimentation with different light effects. ‘Woman in the Garden’, ‘Afternoon Tea’, ‘Woman With An Umbrella’, ‘The Three Graces’, some of Bracquemond’s other famous paintings, largely featuring female characters.

Her Greatest Challenge

The discouragement meted out to her by her husband turned out to be Bracquomond’s greatest challenge in her painting career. Bracquemond’s son, Pierre, in his recorded statements, pointed to the pain that his mother was undergoing because of her husband’s negative approach towards her. Pierre had also expressed the difficulties that Marie Barcquomond was facing because of his father’s jealousy that was purely on account of her talent. By 1890, the domestic conflict provoked Bracquomond to give up painting almost completely. However, she remained a servant defender of Impressionism. Though her painting career was brief, she shone the brightest on the horizon of the artistic world that is overwhelmingly studded with male stars. Paradoxically, today world knows Felix as Bracquomond’s husband and not on the strength of his name.

Bracquomond died on January 17, 1916. Bracquemond was included in the 2018 exhibit ‘Women in Paris 1850-1900’.