Ingres's Madame Moitessier | Talks for All | National Gallery

This is part of our ‘Talks for All’ series. Chris Riopelle, the Neil Westreich Curator of Post 1800 Paintings, discusses Ingres’s ‘Madame Moitessier’. The portrait is influenced by the art of antiquity and the Renaissance. Ingres believed that portraiture was a less elevated art form than history painting. When first asked by Moitessier in 1844 to paint his wife, Ingres refused. On meeting her, he was struck by her beauty and agreed. The painting was left unfinished, and was finally completed in 1856. Subscribe to our channel and never miss a video: Follow us on social media: Like the National Gallery on Facebook: Follow the National Gallery on Twitter: Follow the National Gallery on Instagram: Help keep the museum accessible for everyone by supporting us here: The National Gallery ho