Sketch For The Portrait Of Mrs Feydeau 

Carolus-Duran painted this oil sketch of Mrs. Feydeau, likely in France sometime in the late 19th century. Duran was a popular portraitist among the Parisian elite, but this sketch gives us a glimpse into a very particular type of relationship between painter and sitter. Consider how the loose brushwork and unfinished quality might reflect the informality of the encounter. The muted palette and dark background place all the emphasis on Mrs Feydeau. The gold color of the garment and the blue accents are the height of Parisian fashion. How does this image create meaning through visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations? What kind of social conditions shaped its artistic production? An art historian might consider fashion plates, letters and diaries, accounts of the Parisian art world to better understand the image and its context. Ultimately, art is contingent on social and institutional context.