Louise Catherine Breslau

Who she was

Louise Catherine Breslau (born Maria Luise Katharina Breslau, Munich, 6 December 1856; died 12 May 1927 near Paris) was a Swiss painter of German birth, known for portraits, pastels, interiors and still lifes. She was Marie Bashkirtseff's chief rival at the Académie Julian and one of the best-known women painters of her day. Marie named her "Aramis" in the little circle of atelier friends she cast as Dumas's four musketeers (076.0280). She is mentioned in some 480 passages in thirty carnets (075-104); the rivalry is one of the diary's longest arcs.

Early life and education

She was born into an assimilated German-Jewish family of Polish descent. Her father, Dr Bernhard Breslau (1826-1866), was an obstetrician and gynaecologist who in 1858 became professor and head of the obstetrics service at the University of Zurich; the family moved there when Louise was two. He died on 31 December 1866 of an infection contracted during an autopsy (French Wikipedia; English Wikipedia says only "December 1866"). Her grandfather Heinrich von Breslau (1784-1851) had been a military physician and professor in Munich. Louise grew up in Zurich with her mother, Katharina née Frein, suffered from asthma, and drew while confined to bed; after her father's death she was sent for her health to a convent near Lake Constance.

In 1874 she began lessons with the Zurich portraitist Eduard Pfyffer, where she met Ottilie Roederstein, and decided to leave Switzerland to study seriously. She left with her mother for Paris and entered the Académie Julian in June 1876, the year its course for women began; Marie herself notes that she "y est entrée vers le mois de juin 1876" (082.0428). The Ecole des Beaux-Arts did not admit women until 1897.

Marie and Breslau

First impressions (October-December 1877). Marie joined Julian's women's atelier in October 1877, some sixteen months after Breslau. On 18 October she notes that "Breslau, l'amie de Schaeppi a je ne sais quoi d'Alexandre, ce qui m'étonne bien de la part d'une Suissesse" (075.0350), and two days later that Breslau "a reçu beaucoup de compliments de M. Robert-Fleury, moi pas" (075.0357); she calculates that Breslau had worked at the atelier for two years and was twenty, against her own eighteen (075.0359). On 3 November Breslau and Schaeppi came to her house, one painting and one drawing her (076.0011); on 6 November Breslau's sketch inspired by Marie's harp lesson enchanted her: "Cette canaille de Breslau, elle n'avait pas assez de ressembler à Alexandre il faut encore qu'elle ait du talent... Je l'aime bien cette fille, elle a du talent" (076.0061, 076.0062; Breslau gave her the little painting on 1 January, 077.0080). The phrase "cette canaille de Breslau" becomes her signature, affectionate and anxious: "C'est cette canaille de Breslau qui m'inquiète. Elle est admirablement organisée et je vous assure qu'elle percera" (076.0162); "Je suis contente d'ailleurs de trouver une rivale digne, avec les autres je me serais endormie" (076.0199). They visited the Louvre together (076.0299), and on 28 November Marie cast the circle: "Breslau qui est Aramis; Schaeppi - Porthos; Amélie d'Artagnan" (076.0280; per Kernberger (2013), the nickname stuck). On 31 December the fortune-telling gave Breslau "des couronnes" and Marie "le prix de Rome" (077.0071).

Quarrels, 1878. On 15 December 1877 the atelier split over an impertinence by Amélie to Breslau and Marie lectured Breslau on wasting her gifts on petty politics (076.0402, 076.0414). On 8 January 1878 Marie "presque querellée avec Breslau" who had taken her place with "une indélicatesse très vilaine" (077.0138, 077.0141). In the concours of 4 April 1878 Marie was placed second and Breslau seventh (079.0215, 079.0216). Rows over places returned on 13 May (080.0127). On 16 May Marie, who had announced a skull-painting, found that Breslau "en a peinte une cette semaine. Cela m'apprend à être moins bavarde" (080.0154); the atelier congratulated Breslau on her originality (080.0184), and on 23 May Marie speaks of "ma rupture avec Breslau" (080.0257). On 1 June she wrote "Je suis jalouse de Breslau, elle ne dessine pas du tout comme une femme" (080.0376).

Grudging respect (autumn 1878). In September Breslau came back from the sea with studies of fisherfolk, "d'une charmante couleur", and Marie declared that "Breslau sera un grand peintre, un vrai grand peintre" (082.0428). In the concours of 26 October the placing was "1. Breslau. 2. Moi" (083.0044, 083.0045). Breslau told Marie that "la façon dont mes mains touchent les objets est une beauté", which Marie half distrusts: "Il faut même être Breslau qui invente des choses pour paraître originale et profonde" (083.0051, 083.0052). On 21 November Breslau painted a cheek "si nature et si vraie que moi femme, artiste, rivale, j'ai eu envie d'embrasser cette joue de femme" (083.0232); the next day: "Je suis effrayée de l'avenir de Breslau... C'est déjà une artiste, et elle n'a que vingt-deux ans" (083.0241, 083.0242). Marie wanted to resume their friendship: "elle est la seule avec qui je puisse échanger des idées au moins sur les Arts" (083.0254).

Rupture and reconciliation (1879). On 11 January 1879 Marie notes both that she would like to be friends again and that Breslau is "menteuse et parfois fausse tout en ayant une réputation de droiture et de brutalité" (084.0004). On 5 April the Irish student Sarah Purser wanted to reconcile them and Marie "en serais heureuse au fond" (084.0605); the flat on the avenue des Ternes shared by Breslau, Maria, Purser and Schaeppi would be "un coin précieux" (084.0606). The reconciliation took place on 16 April with a comic scene of orange slices and mock-diplomacy (084.0674). On 17 September 1879 a fellow student, Amanda, reported that Tony judged Breslau to have made too little progress and Julian that her talent "n'est que de l'application" (086.0297).

The Salons, 1879-1884. The Salon turned the rivalry into a public competition.

Influence in both directions (1880). On 22 March 1880 Tony remarked that Breslau had come under Bastien-Lepage's influence, and Marie replied to her diary that it was she who had "exalté devant elle Bastien-Lepage": "Elle subit mon influence comme je subis la sienne" (087.0680, 087.0681). On 24 March she judged: "En fait de femmes il n'y a que moi et Breslau qui comprenions si bien le nu" (087.0703). On 8 May 1880 Breslau asked leave to paint Marie's model; "nous avons l'air de faire un concours avec Breslau et je l'ai battue jusqu'à présent" (088.0126, 088.0127). In July she wrote that Breslau "ne me fait plus peur" (089.0188).

The obsessive comparison (1881-1882). After the 1881 mention Marie compares herself to Breslau year by year. "Breslau est ma préoccupation constante et je ne donne pas une touche sans me demander ce qu'elle ferait" (092.0430); "Les lauriers de Breslau m'empêchent positivement de dormir" (092.0348). On 18 December 1881 Julian told her that Breslau's new sketches were "vraiment remarquables" and that Marie would beat her as a painter if she would only compose daily; Marie answered: "C'est une volonté de fer. Cette fille là me domine de loin. Du reste la plupart de ses convictions lui ont été serinées par moi" (094.0085, 094.0086). On 21 December: "A côté de Breslau je me fais l'effet d'une boîte de carton mince et cassante à côté d'une cassette en chêne massif richement sculpté. Je suis désespérée de moi" (094.0102). On 7 February 1882 Wolff devoted "une vingtaine de lignes les plus flatteuses" to Breslau (094.0230), and three days later Marie called Breslau "terriblement heureuse" (094.0240): "je donnerais pour l'être autant qu'elle sans hésiter tout ce qu'on appelle mes bonheurs et mes richesses" (094.0239). On 22 April: "Breslau est maigre, biscornue, ravagée, quoiqu'avec une tête interessante. Aucune grace et garçon et sàie ! Elle n'arrivera à être un peu femme que si elle a du génie; moi si j'avais son talent je serais comme personne à Paris" (094.0424). She counted painting years against hers (096.0277-096.0283, 097.0133-097.0139): "en admettant que je suis aussi bien douée que Breslau, j'ai marché à peu près comme elle" (097.0137), "Mais nous ne sommes pas pareilles, elle est bien plus peintre et j'ai été malade, et je n'ai pas eu son milieu artiste" (097.0138). She envied Breslau's circle of artists at the Ternes: "un petit cénacle artistique et où chaque parole, chaque pas rapportent quelque chose à l'étude" (097.0155, 094.0090).

The Cartwright affair and the Soutzo slander (1882). On 21 November 1882 Mme Cartwright, who had quarrelled with Breslau, courted Marie, evidently "M'opposer à Breslau et lui prouver qu'elle a eu tort de se brouiller avec elle" (097.0122, 097.0123). Marie answered with an uncharacteristic generosity: "il y a place pour plus d'un succès sous le soleil" (097.0124). Breslau's friend Julie Feurgard assured Marie that "cette heureuse fille me rend entièrement justice et n'a jamais dit de mal de moi" (097.0178), and on 16 December Marie wrote that Breslau had defended her indignantly when Soutzo had slandered her to Cartwright (097.0245). On 28 November 1883 Julian reported that Breslau had come to see him and "après bien des détours elle lui a parlé de moi" (102.0358); she had said that Mme Mackay was furious at Bastien-Lepage's visits to the Bashkirtseffs, and Julian told Marie, "Vous l'inquiétez" (102.0376). Told of a rumour of "une fin très vertueuse de la situation Bastien-Makay", Breslau "a pris son air profond" and said that he was "bien trop intelligent pour faire une telle bêtise" (102.0378, 102.0379); Marie adds: "Ah ! la charmante fille" (102.0380), and notes that Cartwright had told Breslau about her picture: "elles sont de nouveau amies" (102.0381).

Bastien-Lepage, 1883. Both women were drawn to Jules Bastien-Lepage. On 27 January 1883 Marie lamented that he would no longer be able to help her at the Salon as he had helped Breslau (098.0177). On 18 April Marie's architect friend, Bastien-Lepage's brother Émile, told her that Breslau was "très malheureuse" and barely admitted that year (099.0140); Marie noted that Breslau told "un tas de niaiseries venimeuses" about her (099.0141) and that the architect thought her talent equal to Breslau's (099.0143). At the vernissage on 30 April she walked with Bastien-Lepage while "Breslau à une table à côté" (099.0258); the architect protested "Vous avez tellement d'avantages sur elle" (099.0259). On 2 May: "il paraît que Breslau s'est jetée à sa tête" (099.0326). On 6 May Marie wrote "Breslau est sonore, calme, puissant" (099.0373).

The last mentions (1884). In the half-sleep of 16 March 1884 her mind runs through "Cabanel, vernissage... le maréchal, Breslau,..? ... Cimaise... Wolff !" (103.0541). On 25 June 1884, in the last tagged passage, Marie recorded that Breslau "a dit à mon modèle que j'aurais bien plus de talent si j'allais moins au bal" (104.0663).

Professional career

Breslau counted Degas, Rodin, Bourdelle, Fantin-Latour, Bastien-Lepage, Breton, Forain and the writer Anatole France among her acquaintances; she turned against Degas and Forain in 1894 over the Dreyfus case. Several works were bought by the French and Swiss states during her life. She took Swiss nationality in 1892.

Personal life

At Julian's Breslau formed lasting friendships with Sarah Purser, Sophie Schaeppi and Maria Feller; in 1885 she met Madeleine Zillhardt (the sister of Jenny Zillhardt, another student), who became her model, companion and heir and lived with her from 1886 for over forty years. Breslau never married. Zillhardt gave sixty of her pastels and drawings to the Dijon museum and published Louise Catherine Breslau et ses amis in 1932. Breslau died in 1927 and is buried next to her mother at Baden, canton Aargau (English Wikipedia).

Marie notes with some envy Breslau's modest quarters at the Ternes, shared with Maria, Schaeppi and Sarah Purser, "une sphère éminemment artistique" in contrast with her own family circle (094.0090, 097.0155). When someone asked, "Mais Breslau vit donc seule...", Marie understood what independence meant (092.0214).

Historical significance

Breslau's career shows what women artists could reach in the 1880s through the Académie Julian: Salon medals, state purchases, the Legion of Honour and a posthumous retrospective. The relationship with Marie is a well-known case study of rivalry between women in an art world that excluded them. Marie's attitude, between envy, admiration and self-reproach, is part of the diary's psychological interest; Breslau survived her by forty-three years. Marie's obsession with chronology (Breslau began to paint at the end of 1876 or in 1877, 097.0133) is the context of many of her own plans for the Salon.

Related entries

Sources