Smart Secrets of Great Paintings
Season 1, Episode 8: Marie-Antoinette de Lorraine-Habsbourg, Queen of France and Her Children (1787) by Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun
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As the French Revolution approached, Louise Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun painted the queen's portrait in an attempt to win back public opinion. This documentary examines the historical and social context in which "Marie-Antoinette de Lorraine-Habsbourg, Queen of France and Her Children" was painted. It analyzes the work's composition and symbolism in terms of motherhood and political legitimacy, and attempts to counter the queen's reputation for debauchery. It also includes a discussion of Le Brun's background, Italian and Flemish influences, and her unique position as court portraitist in a male dominated field. Finally, we learn how the work was received by the Paris Salon and by the French people.
All Episodes - Season 1
Episode 1
The Moneylender and his Wife (1514) by Quentin Massys
Episode 2
The Artist's Studio (1855) by Gustave Courbet
Episode 3
Bathers at Asniers (1884) by Georges Seurat
Episode 4
Las Meninas (1665) by Diego Velazquez
Episode 5
The Wedding at Cana (1563) by Paolo Veronese
Episode 6
The Martyrdom of Saint Appolonia (1461) by Jean Fouquet
Episode 7
A Lady in Her Bath (1571) by Francois Clouet
Episode 8
Marie-Antoinette de Lorraine-Habsbourg, Queen of France and Her Children (1787) by Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun
Episode 9
Women of Algiers in Their Apartment (1834) by Eugène Delacroix
Episode 10
Colorful Life (1907) by Wassily Kandinsky
Episode 11
Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? 1897, Paul Gauguin
Episode 12
Temptations of St. Anthony, 1501, Hieronymus Bosch
Episode 13
Western Port in Frankfurt am Main, 1916, Ludwig Kirchner
Episode 14
Lady and the Unicorn, Circa 1500, Anonymous
Episode 15
The Primavera, 1482, Sandro Botticelli
Episode 16
The Astronomer (1668) by Johannes Vermeer
Episode 17
The Night Watch (1642) by Rembrandt Van Rijn
Episode 18
The Second of May 1808 (1814) by Francisco Goya
Episode 19
Women on a Café Terrace in the Evening (1877) by Edgar Degas
Episode 20
View of Warsaw From the Terrace of the Royal Palace (1773) by Bernardo Bellotto
Episode 21
Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, 1876, Renoir
Episode 22
Pulcinella and Acrobats, 1797, Tiepolo
Episode 23
The Slave Ship, 1840, J.M. Turner
Episode 24
Men of the Docks, 1912, Bellows