The Artist's Daughter c. 1860 - 1865

Théodule Ribot painted this sensitive portrait of his daughter in oil on canvas. It is undated, but it was likely made in France in the latter half of the 19th century. Ribot’s style was developed outside the French academy and he was committed to a gritty realism, evident here in the somber tones, the dark background and the stark lighting of his daughter’s face. Despite the informality of the portrait, the painting betrays the institutional influence of the Old Masters, especially Rembrandt. It has been said that Ribot was interested in capturing the inner lives of ordinary people, and that he did so in his portraits of family members. The social conditions that shaped Ribot’s career are complex and further research would reveal how the prevailing artistic conventions of his time shaped his radical approach to portraiture.