Cecilia Beaux

Art Appreciation

Cecilia Beaux, born on May 1, 1855, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the daughter of French silk manufacturer Jean Adolphe Beaux and teacher Cecilia Kent Leavitt. Tragically, her mother died just days after her birth, and her father returned to France, leaving Cecilia and her sister to be raised by their maternal grandmother and aunts. This nurturing environment fostered her early interest in art. ​

Beaux's formal art education began under the guidance of her cousin, Catherine Ann Drinker, an established artist. At the age of 18, Beaux taught drawing at Miss Sanford's School and gave private art lessons.

In 1876, she furthered her studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where she was influenced by the teachings of Thomas Eakins. Soon after, she was recognized with the Mary Smith Prize, a prestigious art prize awarded to women artists at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

To refine her skills, Beaux traveled to Paris in 1888, studying at the Académie Julian under prominent artists such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury. ​Her time in Europe did influence her palette as she adopted more white and paler coloration in her oil paintings.

Upon returning to the United States, Beaux established herself as a leading portraitist of the Gilded Age. Her work was often compared to that of John Singer Sargent, characterized by its elegance and sensitivity. She became the first woman to teach full-time at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, serving from 1895 to 1915. ​

Among her notable works are "Sita and Sarita" (1893), a captivating portrait of her cousin with a cat, and "Man with the Cat (Henry Sturgis Drinker)" (1898), depicting her brother-in-law. These paintings exemplify her ability to capture the essence of her subjects with depth and nuance.

Self-portrait, 1894

Sita and Arita (a portrait of Sarah Allibone Leavitt, 1893-1894

Man with the Cat (Henry Sturgis Drinker), 1898

Girl with Lyre, 1905

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.artrenewal.org/artists/cecilia-beaux/281

https://nmwa.org/art/artists/cecilia-beaux/

https://www.museumoftheearth.org/daring-to-dig/bio/beaux

https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/cecilia-beaux-in-10-paintings/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cecilia-Beaux

https://www.artnet.com/artists/cecilia-beaux/

https://awarewomenartists.com/en/artiste/cecilia-beaux/