French school; XIX century.

French school; XIX century.
"Lady".
Pastel on paper.
Measurements: 60 x 45 cm; 70 x 57 cm (frame).
The portrait in the French painting of the 19th century occupied a central place in the evolution of the art and society of the time. Its importance lay in several factors ranging from the consolidation of individual and collective identity to its role in the transformation of the art market and the influence of the pictorial movements that marked the century.
First of all, portraiture was a privileged medium for the affirmation of the individual in a society in full transformation. With the rise of the bourgeoisie and the consolidation of new economic elites after the French Revolution, the desire to perpetuate the personal or family image became a cultural and social necessity. The representation of illustrious figures, from politicians and writers to businessmen and scientists, consolidated the importance of portraiture as a visual testimony of an era of profound change.
Moreover, the development of portraiture was closely linked to the evolution of artistic styles. In the first half of the century, academicism and neoclassicism, represented by artists such as Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, exalted the idealization of the human figure and precision in drawing. Eventually, the arrival of the romanticism of Eugène Delacroix introduced greater expressiveness and dynamism in the representation of subjects, reflecting the emotional and political turmoil of the time.
The emergence of photography in the second half of the century also influenced painting, forcing painters to redefine their approach and seek new forms of pictorial expression to differentiate themselves from photographic realism.