Marie Bashkirtseff's Life in Self-portraits 1858-1884: Woman As Artist in 19th Century France (Studies in Art History)

This scholarly monograph on the Ukranian-born Russian diarist, artist, and sculptor Marie Bashkirtseff (1858-1884) makes an important contribution to a better understanding of the life and art of this important figure as well as to the general fields of art history, social history, and also women's studies through its depiction of how a woman attempted to chart her own course as an artist in the male-dominated world of French society. Bashkirtseff's whole approach to life was that of an artist, with her very person itself being a work of art that was on exhibit for the world to see. The author's fascinating work examines the many ways that Bashkirtseff used the techniques of what she terms "disguise and disclosure" as she experimented with a variety of constructions of herself as a number of different characters over her short life. The twenty-six illustrations that have been included in this book will add greatly to its value.