Final answer:
Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun's self-portrait can be interpreted as a multifaceted piece aiming to promote her professional abilities, create an approachable image for potential clients, and showcase her success and personal elegance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The intention of Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun's self-portrait can be interpreted in several ways. In the portrait, Vigée Le Brun presents herself with an air of confidence, looking directly at the viewer.
Her clothing is of simpler style but still showcases elegant silk and lace, and she casually holds a palette and brushes, signaling her identity as an artist. This depiction manifests her technical skill in painting, her poise as a person, and could be seen as promoting her virtues both as an artist and a potential portraitist for prospective patrons. Therefore, her self-portrait may serve to promote her professional abilities, create a pleasant and approachable image for potential clients, and garner admiration for her artistic success and personal elegance.
Portraits during the 18th century, especially those executed by prominent artists like Vigée Le Brun and her contemporary Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, were not only a means of personal expression but also a tool for professional advancement and social commentary. Considering the cultural context of self-portraiture, which allowed artists to display their image, style, and technique, and the broader societal use of portraits in matters of state and courtship, Vigée Le Brun's self-portrait can be seen as multifaceted, aiming to fulfill professional, aesthetic, and social objectives.