Louise Catherine Breslau | |
|---|---|
 Louise Catherine Breslau | |
| Born | Maria Luise Katharina Breslau (1856-12-06)6 December 1856 |
| Died | 12 May 1927(1927-05-12) (aged 70) Paris, France |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Impressionnism |
| Spouse | Madeleine Zillhardt |
Louise Catherine Breslau (6 December 1856 – 12 May 1927) was a German-born Swiss painter, who learned drawing to pass the time while bedridden with chronic asthma. She studied art at theAcadémie Julian in Paris, and exhibited at the salon of theSociété Nationale des Beaux-Arts, where she became a respected colleague of noted figures such asEdgar Degas andAnatole France.
Born Maria Luise Katharina Breslau into an apparently-assimilatedMunich-basedGerman Jewish family ofPolish Jewish descent.[1] In 1858, when Breslau was two years old, her father accepted the position of professor and head physician ofObstetrics andGynecology at theUniversity of Zurich, and the family moved to Switzerland. In December 1866, Dr. Breslau died suddenly from a staph infection contracted while performing a post-mortem examination. Suffering fromasthma all her life, Breslau turned to drawing as a child to help pass the time while confined to her bed. She spent her childhood inZürich, Switzerland, and as an adult made Paris her home where she also stopped using her first name "Maria".
Lydia Escher (1858–1892) was a friend of Louise Breslau.[2]
After her father's death, Breslau was sent to a convent nearLake Constance in hopes of alleviating her chronic asthma. It is believed that during her long stays at the convent her artistic talents were awakened. In the late 19th century young bourgeois ladies were expected to be educated in the domestic arts including drawing and playing the piano. These were admirable attributes for a respectable wife and mother. Pursuing a career was quite unusual and often prohibited. By 1874, after having taken drawing lessons from a local Swiss artist, Eduard Pfyffer (1836–1899), Breslau knew that she would have to leave Switzerland if she wanted to realize her dream of seriously studying art. One of the few places available for young women to study was at theAcadémie Julian in Paris.[3][4]
At the Académie, Breslau soon gained the attention of its highly regarded instructors and the jealousy of some of her classmates, including the RussianMarie Bashkirtseff. She also met her life-long friend, the Irish artistSarah Purser[5] and Sophie Schaeppi (Switzerland), Maria Feller (Italy),Jenny Zillhardt and her sister,Madeleine Zillhardt.
In 1879, with a portrait “Tout passé”, Breslau was the only student from the Académie Julian women's atelier to debut at theParis Salon. “Tout passé” was a self-portrait that included her two friends. Shortly afterwards Breslau had changed her name to Louise Catherine, opened her ownatelier, and was becoming a regular contributor and medal winner at the annual Salon. Due to her success at the Salon and favorable notice from the critics, Breslau received numerous commissions from wealthy Parisians. She joined the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1890, not only exhibiting in its salons but also serving on the jury. She eventually became the third woman artist, and the first foreign woman artist to be bestowed France'sLegion of Honor award.
Over the years, Breslau became a well-regarded colleague to some of the day's most popular artists and writers includingEdgar Degas andAnatole France. One person who was very special in Breslau's life wasMadeleine Zillhardt with whom she spent over forty years. Madeleine, a fellow student at the Académie Julian, became Breslau'smuse, model, confidant, and supporter. Zillhardt inherited Breslau's estate and later donated sixty of the artist's pastels and drawings to the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon. In 1932, Zillhardt published a book about Louise Breslau titledLouise Catherine Breslau et ses amis (Louise Catherine Breslau and her Friends).
Breslau died in 1927, and in 1928, the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris honored her with a retrospective. Her work was also featured in a 1932 retrospective at Galerie Charpentier dedicated to women who trained at the Académie Julian.
DuringWorld War I, Breslau and Zillhardt remained at their home outside Paris, inNeuilly-sur-Seine. Although she naturalised to Switzerland many years earlier, she showed her loyalty for the French by drawing numerous portraits of French soldiers and nurses on their way to the Front. After the war, Breslau retired from the public and spent much of her time painting flowers from her garden and entertaining friends.
In 1927 Breslau died after a long illness. According to her wishes,Madeleine Zillhardt inherited much of Breslau's estate. Breslau was buried next to her mother in the small town ofBaden, in CantonAargau, Switzerland.
Breslau's work is held in the following public collections:
Media related toLouise Catherine Breslau at Wikimedia Commons
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