Episode #37: Rivals- Vigée Le Brun vs. Labille-Guiard

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There’s an old quote that I’m sure you’ve heard referenced in a million sitcoms or Looney Tunes cartoons- though it actually stems from a 1932 western-- where one character, all flinty-eyed, turns to another, and declares, “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.” It’s an order meant to scare someone away, but it’s also a declaration of the feelings of rivalry, of jealousy, as if it shouldn’t be allowed that two people of similar stature could be functioning-- or even flourishing-- in the same place and time. After all, you couldn’t possibly have two star quarterbacks on the team, or two top valedictorians. Someone always has to be the best, or even more importantly, to be seen by the public as the best.  But was this true in the case of the two top female painters in Revolutionary-era France?
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Episode Credits
Production and Editing by Kaboonki. Theme music by Alex Davis.  Logo by Dave Rainey. Social media assistance by Emily Crockett. Additional writing and research by Adria Gunter.
ArtCurious is sponsored by Anchorlight, an interdisciplinary creative space, founded with the intent of fostering artists, designers, and craftspeople at varying stages of their development. Home to artist studios, residency opportunities, and exhibition space Anchorlight encourages mentorship and the cross-pollination of skills among creatives in the Triangle.
Additional music credits: "Yellow-rumped Warbler" by Chad Crouch is licensed under BY-NC 3.0 ; "Circles (Instrumental)" by Greg Atkinson is licensed under BY 3.0; "Stronger" by Alan Špiljak is licensed under BY-NC-ND 4.0; "Desktop Hall" by Yan Terrian is licensed under BY-SA 4.0; "Beijing 2008" by Anton Khoryukov is licensed under BY-NC-SA 4.0. Ad Music:  "I Was Waiting for Him" by Lee Rosevere is licensed under BY 4.0; "Streetworker Jack (ID 844)" by Lobo Loco  is licensed under BY-NC-ND 4.0; "Comedie" by Jahzzar is licensed under BY-SA 4.0
Links and further resources:
ArtCurious Episode 3: The Semi-Charmed Life of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun
Harvard Magazine: Adélaïde Labille-Guiard
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: Artist in an Age of Revolution, by Laura Auricchio
Metropolitan Museum Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Adélaïde Labille-Guiard
Le Grand Palais: Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun and Female Competition
Jacques-Louis David: New Perspectives, by Dorothy Johnson


Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Peace Bringing Back Abundance, 1780
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Self Portrait with Two Pupils, 1785
Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Self-Portrait, 1790