The Woman Raised Her Voice: Artist Marie Bashkirtseff
A Bold Painter and Outspoken Diarist Who Left Her Mark
“I know that I should become somebody; but with skirts — what can one do?” Plenty, as it turned out. Marie Bashkirtseff (1858–1884) made her bold voice heard during her short lifetime.
Art … is as much a source of happiness for the beginner as for the master. One forgets everything in one’s work. — Marie Bashkirtseff
They Censored the Scandalous Bits
Her outspoken diary entries, published after her death at 25 from tuberculosis, were as sharply observed as her paintings. So much so that her aristocratic Russian family tried to cut out the scandalous bits.
To a woman who knows her own mind men can only be a minor consideration. — Marie Bashkirtseff
Admitted to The Académie Julian at only 18, she became a star. Life drawing classes for women were still new, so the school’s founder commissioned her to paint a class session. Bashkirtseff included herself holding a palette, looking away as if scoffing at all the fuss.
