Marie Bracquemond was an Impressionist artist, originally born to the name Marie Anne Caroline Quivoron on December 1, 1840. She came from a town near Brest, Brittany, called Argenton-en-Landunvez. Unlike the other few women of the Impressionist period, Bracquemond did not enjoy the luxuries of a stable household. Her parents had been stuck in their unhappy, arranged marriage when she was born. Shortly after her birth, her father, a sea captain, had died. Her mother, Aline Hyacinthe Marie Pasquiou, remarried quickly after. Together, their family would move from city to city. Brittany, the Jura, to Switzerland, then Limousin, before finally settling in the south of Paris, Étampes.

She had no formal art upbringing, but rather, she learned her skills under M. Auguste Vassort. He was an older man, who used to be a painter, then spent his senior years focusing on paint restoration. He provided lessons to the young girls of the town. Her career kickstarted after she submitted a painting of her mother, sister, and teacher, posed inside the studio, to the Salon. Her submission was accepted, and this brought her to Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres.

Ingres was a legendary painter, and he had a studio where he took in pupils. Bracquemond had the privilege of being accepted into his private studio, but she observed a disparity between the behaviour Ingres displayed to the men versus the women.

“The severity of Monsieur Ingres frightened me… because he doubted the courage and perseverance of a woman in the field of painting… He would assign to them only the painting of flowers, of fruits, of still lives, portraits, and genre scenes. I wish to work at painting, not to paint some flowers, but to express those feelings that art inspires in me.”
-Marie Bracquemond

Nevertheless, she persevered and became one of the most skilled people in Ingres’ studio. After leaving, she took various commissions and soon met Félix Bracquemond, her to-be husband. They were extremely close as lovers and were together for 2 years before marrying on August 5, 1869. Despite this close bond they shared, it is Félix’s fault that Marie does not have the notoriety she deserves.

Her initial style of painting was more realistic as a result of her training. However, after working with Monet and Degas, her perspective on art changed. By the 1880s, it is obvious that her work transitioned into a full impressionist style. She adopted the en Plein-air method of her colleagues, and her palette just became brighter and brighter. Her work contained this elegant, dream-like quality to it. Little stipples of colour were scattered around her forms, coming together to create a familiar, soft atmosphere.
Her work is viewed with the same level of respect as the other successful women of this period. Art historian Henri Focillon referred to her as one of “Les Trois grandes dames” (the three great ladies) of the Impressionist movement, alongside Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt.

So, knowing all this, why didn’t she have the same level of fame compared to her other female colleagues? Unfortunately, it seems that a lack of support from a male figure can trump all else. Félix’s jealousy towards his wife’s skill, paired with his hatred toward Impressionist ideals, manifested in extremely controlling behaviours. He berated her for her aesthetic preferences, discouraging her from painting altogether. Any opportunity he had to draw public attention away from her, he would take. She had been pulled into obscurity against her will.

Although she was known for her passionate love of art, even Bracquemond could not compete with the strain of a controlling husband. Her health had begun to deteriorate after the birth of their only son, Pierre, and in her old age, the amount of art she’d put out dwindled. By 1890, she was completely worn out, only producing a few watercolour paintings, and nothing more.

Her work saw a bit of a resurgence in the 1980s, but aside from that, she is mostly referred to as the artist lost to time.
A majority of what is known about her presently comes from a short biography Pierre wrote about his parents, titled “La Vie de Félix et Marie Bracquemond”.

Works Cited

Bochicchio, S. (2018). The Most Important Impressionist You’ve Never Heard Of. Retrieved 4 November 2021, from https://www.artandobject.com/articles/marie-bracquemond-most-important-impressionist-youve-never-heard

Enger, R. (2016). Marie Bracquemond – A Passionate Impressionist’s Legacy Buried by her Husband. Retrieved 4 November 2021, from https://arthistoryproject.com/artists/marie-bracquemond/

Marie Bracquemond. Retrieved 4 November 2021, from https://www.wikiart.org/en/marie-bracquemond

The Art Story Contributors. (2017). Marie Bracquemond Artist Overview and Analysis. Retrieved 4 November 2021, from https://www.theartstory.org/artist/bracquemond-marie/

Images Retrieved From:

https://www.wikiart.org/en/marie-bracquemond