She is the focus of the painting as, her dark hair flows down her shoulders, held together only by a red ribbon which matches the red striping of her skirt. Here, she is depicted facing the audience, staring off into the distance. Lise Trehot may just be one of Renoir’s many muses. Lise Trehot Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Summer (Lise Trehot), 1868, Alte Nationalgalerie: Berlin, 2019 The artist’s relationship with his wife was loving her and ignoring her almost in equal parts, which is rather surprising to say since he spent a great deal of time painting her. Her dress is simple, in blue and white stripes, and her brown hair is falling loosely down her back. In this particular painting, as in many others of Madame Cézanne, she blankly stares off beyond the painting with her head tilted. As far as muses go, the French artists’ model may not be the most beautiful or most enigmatic but she takes up a large portion of Paul Cézanne’s portraiture oeuvre. Madame Cézanne, otherwise known as Marie-Hortense Fiquet, is featured in many of her husband’s works, some sources say between 25-30. 1890-92, Philadelphia Museum of Art: Philadelphia, 2019 Madame Cézanne Paul Cézanne, Portrait of Madame Cezanne, ca. Artists such as Picasso or Renoir may be viewed as philanderers or playboys, as they had many muses in seemingly short spurts of time. They serve(d) as a momentous force from which the artist draws inspiration, good or bad chaotic or peaceful. While the term muse is often seen as a good thing, the person depicted in the art does not necessarily have to have a positive impact on the artist. And although they may sometimes be difficult to decipher, these faces give us insight to who the artists were. And often times, you do not need to dive deep into an artist’s oeuvre to discover who their muses were since familiar faces recur in their works. Throughout history, artists have had muses who often were their models, lovers, friends, or family members. Anton Raphael Mengs, Apollo, Mnemosyne, and the Nine Muses, 1761, Gallery of the Villa Albani-Torlonia: Rome The modern term of the muse throughout art refers instead to a person or personified force that is the source of inspiration for a creative process of an artist. In terms of Ancient Greek mythology, the term muse refers to nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, with each daughter having her own attribute, which reflected the desire for musical and artistic inspiration as well the desire for knowledge.
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