Marguerite Gerard's Paintings

Marguerite Gerard ( 1761 - 1837) she was a French artist , she was a pupil of Honore Fragonard , miniaturist, and book graphic artist. Marguerite Gerard moved to Paris at the age of 16 from her birthplace of Grasse. There, she launched her career under the tutelage of her fellow countryman and her older sister's husband, the renowned artist Honore Fragonard. She first learns from her brother-in-law and subsequently works as his assistant. Fragonard aided and promoted his skilled protégé in every way he could. There were also speculations that the teacher and his student did not have a good working relationship. Whatever it was, Fragonard most likely collaborated on several works with Marguerite Gerard. Their artistry was impacted both practically and metaphorically by the smells of their hometown: Grasse is the French fragrance centre, where the Fragonard and Gerard families have passed down the secrets of delectable scents from generation to generation. Those who chose to become artists appeared to want to imbue their work with the sunlight of the south, creating a distinct taste for each piece.

" the cat lunch " Marguerite Gerard

Marguerite Gerard worked in a number of genres and styles before settling on "her" theme: family life and comfort provided by a woman's hands, joyful parenting. Marguerite Gerard painted images of her contemporaries' lives, which were surrounded by children, several household members, pets, and a staff of servants. Pets, particularly cats, appeared frequently throughout Marguerite Gerard's work. Unfortunately, these familial moments were not autobiographical. Marguerite either stole them from the lives of the ladies of her age or made them up, as the artist herself never married and had no children. Following the French Revolution, When women were granted the privilege to display their works in art galleries, Marguerite Gerard jumped at the chance.

She participated in exhibitions on a regular basis from 1799 until 1824. In 1801, Marguerite Gerard got a unique honour given to brilliant artists, and in 1804 she received a gold medal from Napoleon himself, who admired her magnificent paintings. Despite her clear affinity for the topic of the hearth, Marguerite Gerard was able to carve out a place for herself in the cultural life of revolutionary France and the Bonaparte era. As illustrated by the 1808 painting "Napoleon's Mercy," Marguerite Gerard was able to reconcile her interest in the "ladies" topic with the reality of the day. She also practised engraving and etched some of Fragonard's masterpieces. Gerard created a series of pictures for Choderlos de Laclos' "Les liaisons dangeureuses." The portrait was the only genre in which the artist rarely worked, despite the fact that many prominent painters of the time had success in this field. Many of the artist's paintings are in museums and private collections, and many have been auctioned off. Two of her paintings are on display at the Hermitage: "Mother's Happiness" and "An Artist Painting a Portrait of a Musician."