Anne Vallayer-Coster
The best thing I can do for my progress in this drawing challenge is to keep things simple. I’m trying to choose my art history subjects more carefully so I can keep refining my approach, and not get lost in the details. And also… have FUN!!! I tried working on this one in shorter sessions so I wasn’t all burned out and sloppy. Focus, Sara, focus! 🤣
Anne Vallayer-Coster had an artistic upbringing and received wide acclaim for her work. At 26, (around the time she made this painting) she was accepted to the Académie Royale. In the late 18th century, figurative subjects carried the most cachet. But with most life drawing classes open to men only, Vallayer-Coster focused on portraiture and still life, ultimately becoming one of the best still life painters of her time. A favorite of Marie Antoinette, she was given an apartment and studio in the Louvre. Like many elite artists, her reputation suffered during the French Revolution, but she continued to exhibit regularly. I’m glad I found this still life example that doesn’t include allegorical-but-yucky dead animals.
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Illustration inspired by: Vallayer-Coster, Anne, 1744-1818. 1771. White Soup Bowl. https://library.artstor.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000795268