- In full:
- Eliza Cecilia Beaux
- Born:
- May 1, 1855, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- Died:
- September 17, 1942, Gloucester, Massachusetts (aged 87)
Cecilia Beaux
-
Who was Cecilia Beaux?
Cecilia Beaux (1855–1942) was a renowned American portrait painter of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Beaux, raised by relatives in New York and Philadelphia, honed her skills under Catharine Drinker Janvier, Adolf van der Whelen, and William Sartain before opening a Philadelphia studio in 1883.
Her painting, Last Days of Infancy, gained attention at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Paris Salon. After studying in Europe, Beaux became known as one of Philadelphia’s best portrait painters. She was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1894 and became the first female instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1895.
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What type of art did Cecilia Beaux create?
Cecilia Beaux was an American painter known as one of the best portrait painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Beaux's early artistic education included tutelage from her cousin Catharine Drinker Janvier, Adolf van der Whelen, and William Sartain. Her first major work was a full-length portrait of her sister and nephew, Last Days of Infancy. By 1898, Beaux had proven herself a rival to John Singer Sargent in fashionable portraiture.
Beaux was influenced by the French Impressionists, but her work was not imitative. After 1900, she received commissions to paint Edith Roosevelt, Ethel Roosevelt, Mary Adelaide Nutting, Louise Whitfield Carnegie, Richard Watson Gilder, Admiral David Beatty, Georges Clémenceau, and Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier.
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What was Cecilia Beaux famous for as an artist?
Cecilia Beaux was an American painter, renowned as one of the best portrait painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Beaux's talent developed rapidly through the tutelage of her cousin Catharine Drinker Janvier, Adolf van der Whelen, and William Sartain. Her first major work, Last Days of Infancy, gained recognition at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Paris Salon.
Beaux earned a reputation as one of Philadelphia’s best portrait painters. She became the first woman instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and was elected to the Societé Nationale des Beaux-Arts. By 1898, Beaux proved herself a rival to John Singer Sargent in fashionable portraiture.
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How did Cecilia Beaux’s paintings stand out from those of other artists in her time?
Cecilia Beaux distinguished herself as a prominent portrait painter during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While influenced by the French Impressionists, her work maintained a unique style, setting her apart from her contemporaries. By 1898, Beaux had established herself as a rival to John Singer Sargent in fashionable portraiture. Beaux's notable works include portraits of First Lady Edith Roosevelt, philanthropist Louise Whitfield Carnegie, and Admiral David Beatty. Her talent led to her election as an associate of the National Academy of Design in 1894 and to full academician status in 1902. In 1895, Beaux became the first female instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
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How has Cecilia Beaux influenced American art and artists who came after her?
Cecilia Beaux, a prominent American painter of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, made significant contributions to American art, influencing artists who followed. Beaux's artistic journey included studies at the Académie Julian in Paris and instruction from leading artists like William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Tony Robert Fleury. By 1898, Beaux rivaled John Singer Sargent in fashionable portraiture, distinguishing herself with a style influenced by French Impressionism, yet uniquely her own. As the first female instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1895, Beaux paved the way for women in art education and portraiture, leaving a lasting legacy.
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Cecilia Beaux (born May 1, 1855, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.—died September 17, 1942, Gloucester, Massachusetts) was an American painter, considered one of the finest portrait painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Beaux was left by her widowed father to be reared by relatives in New York City and later West Philadelphia. She was educated at home and for two years at a Philadelphia finishing school; at 16 she took up the study of art. Under the tutelage of her cousin, Catharine Drinker Janvier, an artist and writer of some note, and later of Adolf van der Whelen and William Sartain, she rapidly developed into a skilled painter. In 1883 she opened a studio in Philadelphia. Her first major work, a full-length portrait of her sister and nephew entitled Last Days of Infancy, was exhibited in 1885 at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and in 1886 at the Paris Salon. During 1888–89 she traveled and studied in Europe, taking instruction at the Académie Julian in Paris and from several leading artists, including William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Tony Robert Fleury.
Returning to her Philadelphia studio, Beaux earned a reputation as one of the city’s best portrait painters and achieved considerable success over the next several years. In 1894 she was elected an associate of the National Academy of Design (she was elevated to full academician in 1902). In 1895 she became the first woman instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and in 1896 she exhibited six portraits at the Paris Salon. On the strength of her showing at the Salon, she was elected to membership in the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts that same year.
By 1898, when she completed Dorothea and Francesca, a compositionally complex double portrait, Beaux had proved herself the rival of John Singer Sargent in the art of fashionable portraiture. Beaux was influenced by the French Impressionists, but her work was not imitative of any master. After moving to New York in 1900, she received a series of important commissions, including portraits of First Lady Edith Roosevelt and her daughter Ethel Roosevelt; Mary Adelaide Nutting, who was influential in creating a modern nursing program at the Johns Hopkins Hospital; philanthropist Louise Whitfield Carnegie, wife of steel industrialist Andrew Carnegie; and poet and editor-in-chief of the Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine Richard Watson Gilder. For the National Art Committee’s project on World War I leaders, she painted Admiral David Beatty, French Prime Minister Georges Clémenceau, and Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier. Following an injury in 1924 she painted little. In 1930 she published an autobiography entitled Background with Figures. She was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1933, and two years later the academy presented a retrospective exhibit of some 65 of her canvases.