RIGHT HERE ON "THE WEEKLY SPECIAL."
SPECIAL." >> LOOKING AT A PICTURE INVOLVES
A BIT OF MYSTERY, EVEN MORE SO
WHEN THE IMAGE COMES TO US FROM
A FAR AWAY PLACE AND TIME.
WHO PAINTED IT?
AND WHY?
AND WHY? WHY WAS THE SUBJECT REAL OR
IMAGINED?
IMAGINED? WHAT ACTUALLY CAN A PAINTING
REALLY TELL US?
AS IT TURNS OUT, THIS PORTRAIT
HERE AT THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY
ART MUSEUM HAS A RATHER
INTRIGUING HISTORY.
INTRIGUING HISTORY. IT WAS PAINTED IN 1803 BY THE
FRENCH PAINTER, BUT IT WAS MADE
BY A WOMAN PAINTER WOULD SEEM
UNUSUAL ENOUGH.
UNUSUAL ENOUGH. WE TEND TO THINK OF WOMEN
ARTISTS AS A MODERN INVENTION,
BUT A PERSON SEEING THE PAINTING
BACK IN THE 1800s WOULD HAVE
KNOWN THAT THERE IS MORE TO IT
THAN MEETS THE EYE.
ś
ś THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WOMAN
PAINTER, CERTAINLY IN FRANCE.
BY 1775, SHE CAME INTO THE ROYAL
CIRCLES AND PAINTING PICTURES OF
MARIE ANTOINETTE.
MARIE ANTOINETTE. >> WHICH SO PLEASED THE QUEEN
THAT SHE UNOFFICIALLY BECAME THE
OFFICIAL PAINTER TO THE QUEEN,
AND BY, I THINK IT'S 1783, SHE'S
ACCEPTED INTO THE ROYAL ACADEMY
WHICH IS A BIG STEP, BECAUSE
IT'S A HIERARCHICAL SOCIETY.
>> OF COURSE THE WOMAN IN THIS
PAINTING IS NOT MARIE
ANTOINETTE, NOR IS SHE FRENCH,
NOR ROYALTY FOR THAT MATTER.
SHE IS MRS. CHINNERY, BRITISH
AND THE FRIEND OF THE PAINTER.
>> MARGARET CHINNERY MOVED IN
THE HIGHEST CIRCLES OF BOTH
FRENCH AND ENGLISH SOCIETY AND
SHE HERSELF WAS VERY CULTURED
AND EVIDENTLY VERY COMFORTABLE
IN THE SOCIETAL CIRCLES.
>> PEOPLE WOULD HAVE NOTICED
THAT.
THAT. >> THEY WOULD HAVE NOTICED A FEW
OTHER THINGS.
OTHER THINGS. FOR ONE, MRS. CHINNERY'S DRESS
IS UNUSUAL.
IS UNUSUAL. RATHER THAN WEARING AN
ENGLISH-STYLE DRESS, SHE'S
WEARING SOMETHING FRENCH.
>> WHAT WE SEE HER WEARING IS A
SILK, IT'S A SILK VELVET AND I
WOULD SUGGEST THAT THE PAINTER
HAD HER FINGER ON THE PULSE OF
FASHION CHANGE AND PROBABLY
SUGGESTED TO HER SITTERS STYLES
THAT WERE LEADING THE WAY, THAT
WERE SOMEWHAT AVANT-GARDE, MAYBE
NOT SEEN AMONG MOST WOMEN.
>> WHAT'S FALSE FATIN IS FASCINW
SHE PRESENTS MRS. CHINNERY.
SHE COULD HAVE PAINTED HER
SUBJECT LIKE THIS.
OR LIKE THIS.
OR LIKE THAT.
BUT SHE DID NOT.
>> VISIONABRUN, SHE PAINTED
HERSELF WITH HER ONLY DAUGHTER
JULIE MANY TIMES AND YET SHE
CHOSE NOT TO PORTRAY
MRS. CHINNERY WITH HER THEN FOUR
CHILDREN, BUT PORTRAYED HER WITH
A BOOK.
A BOOK. >> AND THIS IS WHERE IT GETS
REALLY INTERESTING.
REALLY INTERESTING. >> AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BOOK
CLOSELY, YOU WILL SEE THAT
WHAT'S MOST VISIBLE ON IT IS THE
AUTHOR, MADAM DUJALLLI.
>> THE BOOK THAT MRS. CHINNERY
IS READING, IT WAS A HANDWRITTEN
TEXT THAT WAS CREATED FOR
MRS. CHINNERY, REALLY AS
EVIDENCE OF THEIR FRIENDSHIP.
>> A-HA, THE SITTER IS NOT ONLY
WELL TO DO AND PRETTY, BUT SHE
ENJOYED LITERATURE.
ENJOYED LITERATURE. SHE'S NOT JUST READING ANY BOOK,
BUT THE BOOK OF A FRIEND AND A
LEADING WOMAN AUTHOR AT THAT.
>> HER FIRST BOOK WAS IN 1782,
WHICH REALLY SET HER ON THE PATH
AND MADE HER THE EDUCATIONALIST
OF THE PERIOD, AND IT SETS OUT
ALL THE WAYS IN WHICH THIS
FICTIONAL FRENCH NOBLEWOMAN IS
RAISING HER CHILDREN, WHICH ARE
VERY MUCH OF THAT ENLIGHTENMENT
PERIOD, BUT DIFFERENT FROM THE
WAY CHILDREN ARE USUALLY RAISED.
>> ADELE AND THEODORE HAD A
PROFOUND EFFECT ON
MRS. CHINNERY, WHO RAISED HER
OWN CHILDREN ACCORDING TO ITS
METHODS.
METHODS. THEIR AFFINITIES WERE SO STRONG
THAT THE AUTHOR SENT EACH OF HER
BOOKS TO MRS. CHINNERY WHO IN
TURN IMMORTALIZED THEIR
FRIENDSHIP BY APPEARING WITH HER
DEAR FRIEND'S FIRST GIFT, THE
HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT YOU SEE
IN THE PAINTING.
>> I SUSPECT THAT WAS A CHOICE,
PERHAPS IN CONSULTATION WITH THE
PAINTER.
PAINTER. PERHAPS SHE SUGGESTED YOU SHOULD
BE HOLDING THIS BOOK, BECAUSE
SHE'S YOUR GOOD FRIEND.
YOU HAVE RAISED YOUR CHILDREN
ACCORDING TO HER PRINCIPLES.
LET'S DO THIS AND I SUSPECT THEY
ALL AGREED THIS WAS A PERFECT
WAY TO POSE.
>> WHATEVER THE CAUSE MIGHT HAVE
BEEN, THE RESULT IS REALLY QUITE
UNPRECEDENTED.
UNPRECEDENTED. A BEAUTIFUL PAINTING AS MUCH AS
A RECORD OF A PARTICULAR
CIRCUMSTANCE.
CIRCUMSTANCE. >> THIS MARKS A CONKNEWENC CONFN
FROM FRANCE AND THIS PERSON FROM
ANGELO.
ANGELO. >> AS YOU ENCOUNTER THIS
PORTRAIT OR ANOTHER PAINTING,
LIKE A TREASURE CHEST, IT WILL
SURRENDER MYSTERIES IF YOU PAUSE
TO UNLOCK IT.