Portrait de Mme Paul Meurice 1843

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres sketched 'Portrait de Mme Paul Meurice' in pencil sometime in the mid-19th century. Ingres was a leading figure in the French Neoclassical movement, a period defined by its revival of classical art forms and themes, and often associated with conservative artistic values. In this portrait, we can see how Ingres both adhered to and departed from tradition. On the one hand, the portrait embodies the aesthetic of its time, capturing the subject with delicate lines and a focus on her refined features. But if we look closer, there is a sense of individuality that transcends mere representation. Ingres seems to be hinting at the subject’s inner life, capturing her intelligence and perhaps her ambivalence toward the social norms of her time. Portraits of women during this era often served to reinforce societal expectations of beauty and domesticity. Ingres, however, offers something more complex. He invites us to consider the individual beyond her social role.