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Marie Gullemine Benoist Essay

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Adoring one of the walls upstairs in the San Diego Museum of Art in the Balboa Park is a neoclassical masterpiece crafted by French-born artist Marie Guillemine Benoist. This Oil painting, done on canvas, shows encased in a wreathed and rustic bronze frame woven in fertile vines bearing fruit. With the respectful dimensions of 100.33 cm (39.5 in.) length and 81.6 cm (32.13 in.) width, and hanging slightly above eye level it is easy to behold the bold and obvious detailing of the beautiful young women it portrays. However as visually stunning as this painting may be, the real beauty can be found in the history, controversy, and significance this work conceals in secret.

Marie Gullemine Benoist also known as Marie-Guillemine de Laville-Leroux was born in Paris France in 1768 where she later died in 1826. Being brought into the world at the height of the neoclassical art movement it is no wonder this is where she drew her artistic inspiration. The heavy influence of this style can be seen quite a bit through the detailing Benoist included in her works of art. She is prominently known for the romantic dresses, realistic contoured body detailing, and portrayal of beauty rather than the reality which strictly corresponds with this style influenced by the classical art and culture of ancient Rome and Greece. …show more content…

In 1787 However, she was kicked out of David’s studio on account of she was a female and the royal arts administration not being fond of the two sexes working admits each other. In 1799 while in artistic independence, she created The Portrait of a Lady, in her hometown of Paris, France. This was one of three paintings that she had shown, at the Salon through their open exhibit policy. However, showing this painting at the Salon and past artist affiliation caused the provocation of controversy for many years to

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