Similarities Between The Letter And Gee-Lebrun

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s work The Letter and Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun’s Comtesse de la Chatre, share obvious similarities. Indeed, both are portraits depicting a woman. Although they belong to two different aesthetic currents, Romanticism for Corot and Neoclassic for Vigée-Lebrun, both artists use similar tools such as color, composition, brushstroke, and lighting to define the character of their painting. After comparing them, I would advise a prospective buyer to acquire The Letter because Corot conveys a haunting emotion in his art piece through the use of deter colors that arouse the viewer’s emotion, through his bold brushstroke technique that creates dramatic effect, through the overhead light source that furthers the feeling of despair,
These brushstrokes that Corot uses in this painting create a tension needed for the development of the character of the sitter, who seems unhappy because of the letter on her hand. Bold, in both the width of the brushstroke, and the zigzag nature that he employs to create depth and detail, especially in the shoulders and the plunging neckline of the vest. However, Vigee-Lebrun forms barely visible, wispy, precise brush strokes to convey the characteristics in every detail of The Comtesse painting. One must commend Vigee-Lebrun for the tedious work she did to paint the hair, which is done in minute detail every single hair, creating a sense of real hair. The hands of the sitter are finely detailed, leaving nothing to the imagination. This perfection makes the sitter quite statuesque conveying her character as a Nobel. Vigee-Lebrun also displays vivid details in the brocade of the dark green velvet cushion and settee, and perfect folds in the dress. Based on the brushstroke style, The Letter seems more unique compared to The Comtesse because Corot forces the viewer to stand further away in order to fully appreciate his painting while viewers can describe Vigee-Lebrun’s painting whether from near or far