Art is the Solution

The Princesse de Broglie Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Today, I want to talk about a painting by another famous Neoclassical painter: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Ingres seems to have taken a particular joy in painting beautiful young women, ranging from portraits to mythological and history paintings. One of his most famous paintings is his portrait of the Princesse de Broglie, and I primarily want to talk about it because it’s just so beautiful. I recently saw a high resolution image of this painting on the Met’s Instagram account, and I was stunned by the level of technical skill demonstrated in this piece. Every detail from the lace on the princess’ dress to the light reflecting off the fabric of the yellow chair is painstakingly and meticulously rendered. The effect is undeniably impressive. Every inanimate objects in the painting — the dress, chair, and jewelry — are astonishingly realistic. However, Ingres has softened the princess herself. She is doll-like, ...