Benoist
Portrait Of A Negress, Marie-Guillemine Benoist,  1800
BY KAELYN ROSS

Critics and the public adored Marie-Guillemine Benoist's Portrait Of A Negress when originally shown because of its unique subject. The subject, a black woman, is shown with draped fabrics to cover herself yet leaves her breast exposed. Despite the more plain background, the chair and accessories, such as her earrings, indicate a somewhat wealthy setting.

The praise also came because the painter was a woman, which was unusual for the time. When a painter (male) paints a black female, it is seen as a type of objectification. However, Benoist depicts a genuine relationship between the subject and painter because their bond over their gender and struggles because of it which in a way overrule their differences in race and wealth. This rare relationship probably derived from Benoist's opinions, which developed from her childhood as the daughter of a civil servant in Paris.

Benoist married a public supporter of royalist causes, creating problems with judgement from critics and the public. At the height of her popularity, she resigned to focus on advocating for women's rights especially during the rise of conservatism in Europe.

This painting reminds me of "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou. Every line applies, however most preeminent are "You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies... Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes," "Does my sexiness upset you?...Still, I rise."
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Benoist's Portrait of a Negress

Benoist
Marie-Guillemine Benoist, Portrait of a Negress, 1800
Marie Benoist belonged to a small and select group of woman painters in the 1800s, and one of her most provocative paintings was Portrait of a Negress. Benoist was the student of another prominent woman painting of the time, Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun. The picture was painted six years after the emancipation of slaves and termination of slavery, but two years before Napoléon reinstated slavery in the French colonies. At the time portraits and images of Africans were incredibly popular. Although the painting was not commissioned it creates a bridge between the movement for women's rights and the abolition of slavery.

Before the nineteenth century, many paintings featuring blacks  merely showcased them as a possession and asserted wealth of the owners of the works. As for Benoist, a majority of her paintings before Portrait of a Negress, were centered on woman and family life. When Benoist brought her portrait to the Salon, it was highly praised. The portrait strayed from the usual representation of blacks as simple servants or splashes of color. Benoist wanted to send a clear message with this painting. She strives to address female agency as well as the racial issues of the time. Although she does the issues at hand justice, she robs the Negress in the painting of her identity and voice and uses her as a vehicle for her message. Unfortunately, the woman remains unnamed .

The painting mirrors many feelings of Benoist and other woman at the time. Benoist longed for freedom in a world controlled by men. This portrait serves as a way from Benoist to break out of the stereotype of other female artists of the time. Yet like the Negress, in the larger picture Benoist is another female artist. She only receives half the recognition she truly deserves.
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Madame Phillippe Desbassayns de Richemont and Her Son, Eugene

Benoist
Marie-Guillemine Benoist, Madame Phillippe Desbassayns,
1802-1803 
Marie-Guillemine Benoist’s work Madame Phillippe Desbassayns de Richemont and Her Son, Eugene has a bit of a cloudy background. In 1897, the painting surfaced in an exhibition at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. This was the first time that Jacques-Louis David scholars had seen the work, and they presumed (wrongly) that it was his.

A member of the de Richmont family gave the work to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1953. Family tradition stated that David painted Madame de Richemont and her daughter, Camille, shortly before the girl’s death in an accident. The family sold the painting because the painting alludes to memories of their daughter’s tragic death. Critics speculate that after Camille’s death, the painting was altered to replace the young girl’s portrait with that of her brother Eugene’s. However, the physique of the child in the portrait, as portrayed through its curls and rosy skin tone, does not indicate a particular gender.

While art critics attribute the painting to Benoist, the mannerisms of David, her mentor, shine through the work. The position of the character, short brushstrokes, and wisp-ish quality of the hair mimics David’s style. But, the shade of red in the shawl that adorns the chair contradicts David’s customary color. The orange tones of Benoist’s fabric almost seem too bright and florescent compared to the customary crimson used in David’s works, such Venus Disarming Mars. After studying David’s paintings, it can resolutely be stated that Madame Phillippe Desbassayns de Richemont and Her Son, Eugene was not painted by the late master, but by his studious disciple.



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