Portrait of a Young Girl with a Blue Ribbon

We receive many complains that we don't feature enough female artists. As half of our team are women (including myself) - it is time to change it! There will be more and more female artists in DailyArt, I promise :) Louise Abbéma was a French Impressionist painter, decorative artist, and engraver. Born into a wealthy family that moved among prominent art circles, Abbéma was destined to be an artist. It was uncommon for women to attend art academies at the time, so Abbéma studied under notable artists such as Charles Chaplin, Jean-Jacques Henner, and Émile-Auguste Carolus-Duran. At age 16, she exhibited a painting of her mother at the Paris Salon, but it was her full-length portrait of Sarah Bernhardt exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1876 that garnered national attention. Abbéma executed multiple portraits and a bronze medallion of the actress, with whom she was a close friend and possibly lover. Her rapid brushstrokes and light touch deftly captured the spirit of her sitters. From 1881, Abbéma’s work demonstrated an influence of Japanese painting and an increasing portrayal of flowers and animals. Abbéma developed a variety of techniques using oil paints, pastel, and watercolor, and worked on various supports including fans. Her genre scenes and indoor and outdoor group scenes were often exhibited at the Salon. -- DailyArt needs your support - find out more here: http://support.getdailyart.com.