The role of the accessory in a female interior portrait by E. Vigée Le Brun

The article is devoted to the consideration of female interior portraits created by E. Vigée Le Brun in Russia. The purpose of the study is to reveal the role of the accessory in the portrait concept of the French artist, which is characterized by close attention to the subject matter of painting. The relevance of the work is conditioned by the fact that a careful study of this group of works, which represent the model in a waist type, contributes both to the comparison with portraits that show the figure in a knee-high or full-length image and emphasize three-dimensional aspects in its interpretation, and to the identification of the specifics of E. Vigée Le Brun’s creative approach in creating different variants of interior portraiture. The research methodology is based on a combination of formal, comparative-historical and contextual analysis to determine the characteristic features of interior portraiture in the master's work. This research allows author to come to the conclusion that the accessory in the portrait concept of the French artist not only shows the interests of the model and her family virtues, but also enhances the expressiveness of the work and the individuality of the person portrayed. At the same time, it should be noted that the treatment of accessories demonstrates signs of some action rather than active involvement in it, and thus has a conventional character, typologically corresponding to the widespread variant of the semi-ceremonial male portrait as a statesman. In addition, E. Vigée Le Brun's approach to this type of interior portrait has a number of characteristic features, which include convincing and compact posture, bright color, intense lighting, considerable attention to the painting of the costume and the special role of accessories for individualizing the model's look.

18th Century, Russian art, Vigée Le Brun, portrait, accessory, interior, painting, female image, French school, rossica