Vigée Le Brun Self-portrait (1800)

Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) was a prominent portrait painter in the 18th century, and was probably the most famous female artist of that century.  She did so many portraits of Marie Antoinette that she was considered the official portrait painter of that unfortunate queen. She also painted numerous self-portraits; this one was done in 1800.

It's obvious from this painting that Vigée Le Brun's use of light was exquisite. I like the way that in her portraits of women the hair is often not neatly combed and arranged but rather natural and somewhat wild, as in the self-portrait above. Here are a couple of her 18th century works that I like:

 Marie Antoinette and her children (1787)

 Portrait of Irina Vorontsova (ca. 1797)

Self-portrait in a straw hat (1782)