Portrait of Angelica Catalani de Valabrègue 1810 - 1820

Curator: Let’s delve into this work, shall we? What we have here is “Portrait of Angelica Catalani de Valabrègue,” a drawing rendered in pencil and print, dating back to sometime between 1810 and 1820. The artist is Antoine Louis François Sergent Marceau. Editor: Oh, the portrait is captivating, especially the light used—a subtle, ethereal quality to the drawing. It feels like looking at a ghost, a fancy ghost but still a ghost. Curator: That "ghostly" feel resonates with the Neoclassical style, harking back to idealized forms of the past, almost an imagined Greece, rendered with such subdued emotion. The composition reflects the power and place afforded women entertainers, specifically opera singers, during the French Imperial era. This woman was very famous. Editor: There's something very stately about her pose. I can sense this artist saw opera and perhaps felt a deep respect. Though, between you and me, it’s sort of…stiff, isn’t it? Like she's doing her civic duty by having her portrait made, holding up the musical paper like she means business! Curator: But within that stiffness is a particular statement of self-possession. Notice how her gaze doesn’t meet ours; it’s directed just past us. That allows viewers to contemplate her place in society, her ambitions. What about the figure standing just behind the main figure? Any observations? Editor: Hmm, she looks like she stepped out of Mount Olympus. The goddess of music for the diva perhaps? I love that sort of quiet, almost subversive gesture of greatness the artist sneaks in. It shows the talent they believed she possessed. And the lyre is a fantastic detail. Curator: Indeed, she is being placed as someone on the plane as a goddess of music through both her success, image, and relationship to the ancient stories. What about the placement of the music in her hand? Editor: Like she is in command, ready to bring the music at a moment's notice to silence a room and evoke emotions...powerful! I also get the sense she knew the effect it had. I wonder what it was like to see her perform live. Curator: It's easy to let our imagination fill the blanks. Perhaps that is where we must conclude for today, and leave our visitors imagining Angelica filling the opera houses! Editor: Yeah, she's got me hooked; I need to find some of her recordings pronto!