Sitter paintings: Madame Cézanne in the Conservatory and the Princess Albert de Broglie
Sitter paintings are some of the most prominent paintings since they have to show the portrait of the characters in great detail. They are often paintings of an individual that is being directly painted and thus their presence is mandatory. Realism is thus a major characteristic of sitter paintings. As well known, majority of the sitter-paintings were nude painting but some are not. Regardless, the painters had different painting styles and thus their paintings were overly different. The disparities in the paintings were in the several fields that are considered in comparing painting ranging from the color use to the material. Generally these differences were existent since each painter painted regarding the styles of a given artist. There are several types of sitter paintings and these are classified from the medium used. This paper will cover two prominent sitter paintings that are completely different and their comparison and contrast on the preset fields will be covered.
The first painting to feature is the Portrait of Princesse Albert de Broglie, née Joséphine-Eléonore-Marie-Pauline de Galard de Brassac de Béarn, which was painted by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. This is one of the best sitter-painting to have been done since its clarity is just impeccable. Majority of the people may argue that this is since the painting was the portrait of a princess and that it just had to be perfect. The painter also has factored in the perfection of this painting. The amount of keenness that the painter invested in this painting was very fruitful as seen.
The second painting that will be compared to Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres’s painting is Paul Cézanne’s painting labeled as the Madame Cézanne in the Conservatory painting. This painting is also one of some remarkable paintings by the painter. The painter, unlike the first painting, this painting lacks clear detail but is still very professional. This painting is somehow related to the painter since the character in the painting shares a similar name to the painter. The setting of this painting is in France the home of the painter. Jean Ingres too painted his painting in France too. These two painters were from similar origins.
The Princess Albert de Broglie painting was completed in 1853. Several research findings indicate that the painting took a period of 2years since it is indicated to have commenced in 1851 and completed in 1853. Currently, the painting is preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Madame Cézanne in the Conservatory is also preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of art. The painting was completed in 1891. Madame Cézanne in the Conservatory’s subject is a usual painting of one of the friends or the relatives which means that not much keenness was maintained by the artist. The Princess Albert de Broglie’s Subject was quite different. It is a portrait of a princess which means that it had to be perfect. This painting was very important and thus the artist painted to impress and not just to complete it.
Color is a deep consideration in any given painting. Various artists are known to have different styles of coloring. These two paintings were painted using totally different coloring methods and styles. In the Ingres Princess Albert de Broglie painting, the painter Jean Ingres used cool colors to ensure that the painting is not only catchy but appealing. The use of prominent cool colors such as blue purple and light brown has made the artwork very catchy. Only few warm colors have been used with one being gold, on the armchair, and the princesses’ skin color. Madame Cézanne in the Conservatory on the centrally has widely used warm colors. Few cool colors have been used, one being green. The use of Black is also seen from this painting which has a dulling effect on the viewers.
The medium used in each of the painting is also different. The Princess Albert painting was painted on canvas using oil paint and thus the deepness in the colors is easily visible. The Madame Cézanne painting on the other hand was painted on wood. The artist used water color to complete the painting. The quality of the painting varies too. The first painting is of a higher quality and from the mere glance of the painting it brings about the amount of time and keenness invested in majority of the cases. Much time and attention was also used by the painter and thus generally, the painting is of a much higher quality as compared to the Madame Cézanne in the Conservatory. This painting is of a lower quality, based on the medium used as well as the coloring. Generally, water color paintings are of a lower quality as compared to oil painting.
The texture is also another quality under which the paintings can be differentiated. In the Madame Cézanne in the Conservatory painting, the painter Paul Cézanne adopts a rough texture. On the other hand, Ingres has made it possible for the texture to be very smooth. This can be seen from the almost invisible brush strokes in the painting. This texture is obtained from the use of the brush. The strokes used, the speed and the type of the brush the painter employs dictate the texture outcome. Ingres uses a smooth texture throughout the painting. This is achieved through slow brush stroking that leads the strokes to be almost invisible. Cezanne has used quick brush strokes in the painting and this has achieved a very rough texture. The brush strokes are very visible throughout the painting.
The subject positioning in the portraits is somehow similar. The subject has been centrally positioned in both paintings. The subjects have also been positioned similarly, in that in both paintings they assume a vertical position. This is one similar factor about both paintings. The both paintings are of a portrait format, taking a closer concentration on the subject, rather than the background. Though so, the use of space is different. In Princess Albert de Broglie, Ingres uses space in a better manner than Paul Cézanne. In this painting, the subject, the princess, occupy’s more than ¾ of the available space. This use of space draws more attention to the subject and thus it is seen that the subject is the first item in the entire painting that gets the attention of the viewer at first glance. Cézanne uses the space adequately though the much of the space is occupied by the background. This has a shadowing effect which means that the subject, though visible might not be the first item in the painting to catch the viewers’ attention. To make the subject less noticeable, the painter used black for the painter’s dressing. This resulted in little recognition of the painting as a portrait though it is one. The painter also included several items in the background which catches the attention of the viewer prior to the viewer noticing the subject of the painting.
These two paintings are also different in terms of appearance. Ingres’s painting is more appealing and realist. The use of cool colors and soft texture has made it appear more of a photograph than a painting. The rough texture in Paul Cezanne’s painting makes it directly visible as a painting. The use of rough shapes and the visibility of violent brush strokes, gives it an artistic view of the painting thus illustrating that the painter directly painted it. It is not realistic and thus realism is absent in his work.
