Cecilia Beaux
In the painting we present today, American artist Cecilia Beaux explores the boundary between portraiture and figure painting, focusing less on the individuality of the sitters and more on their synchronized movements. The composition features two children of Beaux’s friends, Helena de Kay and Richard Watson Gilder, a prominent couple in New York’s cultural scene. This double portrait captures the daughters in a dancing lesson, visually evoking their transition from girlhood to adolescence.
As a female artist competing for portrait commissions in the male-dominated art market of the early 20th century, Beaux achieved remarkable success. She was also an influential teacher, becoming the first woman to secure a faculty position at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
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P.S. Beaux's art sits at an intersection between Realism and Impressionism. Are you curious to see more? Explore 10 remarkable paintings by Cecilia Beaux!