Sarah Bernhardt lived from 1844-1923) so this was painted by here when she was 66 When I discovered that fact it made this swirling, confident and exciting self portrait even more remarkable. Who was she? A 'superstar', we would call her now, She lived in the cross over from 19-20th centuries, appeared on film and entertained troops in WW1 yet was leading stage actress in France, England, in States and on world tours. She was resilient and determined throughout her life. Even an injury to knee which eventually meant she had her leg amputated didn’t stop her working. She began painting early in her career - an activity for the time between performances at the Comédie-Française. At her holiday retreat Holiday retreat at Belle-Ile off the Brittany coast she had a studio and there produced mainly landscapes, some sculpture and this self portrait. As an actress she was skilled at being someone else, yet she clearly had a sense of her own style. This self-portrait shows this so well: her pose, her unruly curly hair and the white scarves she often swathed herself in. And there is no way that here she looks like an old lady, but then neither does she in the photo taken the same year. That piercing thoughtful gave and that determination to keep on going is fascinating and inspiring. The painting belongs to the Fondation Bemberg collection - an extraordinary treasure house of art in a side street in Toulouse in the South for France.
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