Parental love: how great artists saw their children

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Contrary to popular misconceptions about creative narcissism, artists are caring parents. The painters managed not only to capture the elusive moments of childhood, but also to express their love or sadness. In this collection of muses for outstanding masters became their little daughters.

1. Madame Vigee-Lebrun and her daughter

A unique and charming example in the history of painting is the self-portrait of the 18th century French artist Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun with her daughter Julie, whose life would later be connected with Russia. The court artist created a series of family paintings. The girl's age changes, but the expression of closeness between mother and child, gentle hugs and a state of peace remain unchanged. They moved away when young Julie gave preference to her lover, who did not suit her mother. Julie died young. Elizabeth took this loss hard.

2. George Dunlop Leslie "Alice in Wonderland"

The English artist George Dunlop Leslie in the painting "Alice in Wonderland" portrayed his wife and daughter, Alice, attentively listening to her mother's reading at home. The girl's modest blue dress today is associated with the image of the heroine of the same name in the famous work. But what is the meaning of the artist in the words of the title of the work - "Wonderland"? Is this what a child now imagines while listening to an exciting story, or is it the cozy world of childhood, surrounded by parental love?

3. Paul Gauguin "Little Sleeper"

In an atmosphere of tenderness and innocence, the famous impressionist Paul Gauguin depicts the sleeping daughter Aline. The artist had five children. After parting with their mother, he continued to keep in touch with them.

4. Arthur Rackham "Portrait of a daughter, Barbara"

The portrait of Barbara, daughter of the illustrator and storyteller Arthur Rackham, is also associated with reading. A constant attribute of childhood on the canvases - the doll - is present here as well. The girl comes up with a costume for a toy.

5. J. E. Millet "My First Sermon"

Children often became the main themes of the acclaimed English artist J. E. Millet. His daughter Effie was a favorite model. In the painting "My First Sermon", the father portrays the baby collected, concentrated. It is believed that Millet followed the Victorian notion of children, and yet, in the sequel to My Second Sermon, the figure of a sleeping child testifies to the irony of not only the artist, but also the father. My First Sermon was exhibited in 1863 at the Royal Academy and was so successful that the artist created a second version, which was immediately sold.

6. Pissaro "Portrait of Jeanne Rachel"

The famous master of painting, Pissaro, had 8 children, and all of them became the artist's models. The group of portraits of her daughter - Jeanne-Rachel - is the most touching. On one of them, the girl's eyes seem to show an impatient question: "Well, how long will it take?" The tragedy of this light portrait is given by the fact that in a year the girl will die of tuberculosis at the age of 9.

7. A. Matisse "Margarita"

Margarita, the eldest of three children of Henri Matisse, is 11 years old in the picture. This image of a strong girl with a pale face seems to portend her future: she managed to escape from a Nazi concentration camp, she took care of her younger brother and sister and collected her father's creative legacy.

8. K. Larsson "Britta and I"

Swedish artist Karl Larsson dedicated many bright and cheerful works to his family. The master had 8 children, whom he captured in different home situations. The self-portrait with her two-year-old daughter "Britta and Me" conveys the atmosphere of happiness and joy of communication between parent and child.

9. L. Freud "My daughter is Rose"

And now, at the end of the twentieth century, new artistic principles appear in the transmission of parental feelings. In Lucian Freud's painting "My Daughter, Rose" - an adult, but still a child. This artist had a special attitude towards fatherhood. He stated that he did not like children, and preferred not to live with them, meeting only from time to time. At the same time, friends recalled that he had about 30 children, and they loved their father.

One of the most famous portraits of an adult daughter is a painting Ivan Kramskoy, which supposedly depicts the artist's daughter