Which 19th Century Painter Are You? 

Portraitist to the Rich and Famous

Born in Paris on April 16th, 1755, Vigee Le Brun was one of the most successful Rococo and Neoclassical artists of her generation. The world fell in love with her unmatched wit, elegance, and charm.

Known for her ability to connect with the subjects she was painting, Vigee Le Brun had a knack for fashion, grace, and flattery. Beginning to work professionally by her early teens, her loose brushstrokes and bright colors caught the attention of none other than Marie Antoinette. She soon moved in to Versailles to become the royal portraitist.

However, after the French Revolution she was forced to flee and traveled abroad for 12 years to places like Italy, Austria, Germany, Russia, and Switzerland; continuing to paint all the while. Her work captivated audiences around the world with it's delicate freshness.

Vigee Le Brun was one of the most technically skilled artists of her time and dabbled in mythological and allegorical scenes, sometimes even portraying her clients as characters from myths. She also caused a ruckus in the art world by exhibiting a self-portrait in which she had an open smiling mouth. This was considered unladylike, yet she still continued to show women's smiling teeth in multiple paintings.

Realism's Plein Air Prodigy

Rosa Bon Heur was born on March 16th, 1822. Truly a pioneer in the feminist movement, Rosa had a love for the Wild West. She was a nature enthusiast who loved to paint outside and a bit of a "tomboy" by her days standards. She exercised her personal freedom throughout her life by wearing men's clothes, excelling in the business of art, and even smoking cigars.

Her father was an artist and advocated for her education. She studied under him and quickly excelled, taking a special interest in animals. Bon Heur studied, painted, and owned a menagerie of interesting animals, even lions and an otter. She disguised herself in order to study animals at horse fairs and slaughterhouses to better understand their anatomy.

This dedication and passion led her to become one of the most renowned Realism painters and by far the best at animals. The crisp energy of her famous works captivates the eye, and her love and appreciation of animals and nature shines through.

Rebellious Pastel Impressionist

Born May 22nd, 1844, in Pennsylvania, Mary Cassatt pursued her love of painting despite society and her family's expectations of her to be a high class homemaker.

She took the steps necessary to accomplish her goals, faced obstacles, but persevered and prospered nonetheless. Both love and talent inspired Cassatt's career. With beauty and sentiment injected into every piece she made, she was able to survive off of her own art.

One of the few women permitted to study art at the Louvre by becoming a low paying copyist selling reproductions of masterpieces. She had a fervor and discipline for fine education, but equally valued personal artistic exploration.

She used soft pastels and bright, warm scenes depicting daily family life; especially women and children, to hone her distinctive Impressionist style. Her paintings of women doing domestic tasks often had simplified large colorful blocks inspired by Japanese design.

This clear purpose and dedication to her niche allowed her to become one of the most memorable female Impressionists.

Model, Lover, and Acrobat.

Born September 23rd, 1865 in France, Valadon was independent and rebellious from the start. She is one of the few successful female artists who was not professionally trained and came from poverty.

Feisty and vivacious, Valadon was known for being the life of the party. She began working various odd jobs as a child in order to support herself. She even became an acrobat in the circus but suffered a career ending injury to her back.

She began modeling after becoming friends with male artists she met at the circus as well as at taverns and dance halls. It is widely believed that Valadon's unique approach to the nude form was learned through modeling and watching artists paint her own body. She took many lovers and was known for being able to represent the female form in a candid and nonsexualized manner, probably in part due to her own comfort within her body.

Never one for convention, she didn't care about the rules of art. This allowed her to explore themes like sexual pleasure and the nude form. Her style was bold and bright, with thick black lines defining nude bodies. She helped define the Symbolist movement.

She also painted still lifes and landscapes and worked in a variety of mediums. She was fearless and it allowed her to explore art in a way that had never been seen before.