Self-portrait of the artist

Marie Elisabeth Louise Vigee-Lebrun is a French artist. An interesting destiny was predetermined for her: friendship with monarchs, admiration of fans and long-term wanderings. Largely thanks to her talented brush, we know by sight those who made history at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries both in Europe, seething with revolutions, and in distant Russia.
It all began on April 16, 1755, when a daughter was born to the family of a modest Parisian artist Louis Vigee, who received the beautiful name Louise-Elisabeth. Could Louis assume that his name will remain in history only thanks to the talent of the girl, whom he spoiled in every possible way. She was friendly with Queen Marie Antoinette. Louise became a court painter, orders literally "showered" on her. Among the French aristocracy, it became prestigious to have portraits painted by Louise Vigee-Lebrun. It is worth noting that her brush was light, and her portraits were graceful and effective. That all changed in the summer of 1789. The rebellious Paris took the Bastille by storm, in the squares of the capital, under the enthusiastic cries of the crowd, they began their bloody guillotine work. By the time Marie-Antoinette's head rolled down to the executioner's feet, Louise and her daughter were already far from the seething Paris. For her, a long twelve-year journey of an emigrant through European capitals began. Glory ran ahead of a beautiful artist and simply a charming woman who was gladly received both in royal palaces and in aristocratic salons. Having traveled around many European countries, in 1795 Vigee-Lebrun reached Petersburg, where she stayed for almost 7 years. Here her daughter married, more than 50 portraits were painted here, which became an adornment of the best Russian museums, here she became an honorary free associate of the Imperial Academy of Arts. Relations with Catherine II did not work out. The Empress did not always deservedly criticize the artist's works, and Louise's relationship with Elizaveta Alekseevna, the wife of Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich, the future emperor, became almost close. She painted several of her portraits and even designed new models of dresses for the Grand Duchess. In 1802, Louise returned to Paris, but did not stay there long, again going to travel to European capitals. Only in 1810 she finally returned to France. Vigee-Lebrun painted portraits for a long time, but gradually began to refuse orders, and then completely abandoned painting, since there were enough funds for a comfortable life. She wrote her memoirs and just enjoyed the peace that she so lacked before.

Louise-Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun died in Paris on March 30, 1842, but her beautiful canvases, from which people of a long bygone time look at us, and fascinating memories that make it possible to better understand that amazing era, remained.