What 9 Art Muses Whose Beauty Received Eternal Life in Masterpieces Looked Like in Reality

We often perceive the muses of great artists only through the prism of their works. However, artists are peculiar people and see the world in their own way. In this case, how can we understand what the art models depicted in the portraits looked like in real life? Fortunately, thanks to photographs that have survived to these days, we can satisfy our curiosity.

Victorine Meurent, model of Édouard Manet

Victorine Meurent was a musician and tried her hand at artistry. She performed, playing guitar and violin. In addition to that, she taught how to play these 2 instruments and sang in cabarets. She was nicknamed La Crevette (the shrimp) because of her petite stature and red hair.

Although Meurent was an accomplished artist, she is remembered by the general public as one of Édouard Manet’s favorite models. In 1863, he painted 2 paintings — Luncheon on the Grass and Olympia (left photo above). At various times, Meurent also posed for Manet’s close friends Edgar Degas and Belgian painter Alfred Stevens.

Nadezhda Zabela-Vrubel, Mikhail Vrubel’s muse

Nadezhda Zabela-Vrubel performed principal roles in the operas The Maid of Pskov, Sadko, The Tale of Tsar Saltan, and many others. She was especially loved by the composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He literally idolized the singer and admired her marvelous voice. Always judicious and sober-minded, composer fell in love with Nadezhda, but the union didn’t take place, as both were married.

The artist Mikhail Vrubel became Nadezhda’s husband. He noticed her at the rehearsal of the production of Hansel and Gretel. During the break, Vrubel approached Zabela, kissed her hand, and began to say compliments about her voice and immense talent. They married in 1896, and Nadezhda became a permanent model for her husband’s paintings. She can be seen, for example, in the painting The Swan Princess.

Jeanne Hébuterne, the wife and muse of Amedeo Modigliani

Jeanne Hébuterne was the wife and art model of Amedeo Modigliani. She planned to follow in her brother’s footsteps and become an artist. In 1917, she enrolled in the Académie Colarossi where she met the charming and charismatic Amedeo. And this was only the beginning of their romantic relationship.

Jeanne did everything possible to be near her lover. Neither parents nor poverty, or illness, or bad habits of the artist could make her give up on him. Those around her spoke of her as a quiet, shy girl. Her dark red hair and pale skin became a source of inspiration for Modigliani throughout his work.

Misia Sert, art model of Auguste Renoir, Bonnard, and others

Misia Sert, born Maria Zofia Olga Zenajda Godebska, was born in the Russian Empire. She was soon sent to Paris, where she learned to play the piano. Sert was a real socialite, she had her own salon, which was visited by the most famous artists. She inspired writers and composers, posed for artists, and was a generous patron of the arts.

Among her friends were Colette and Pablo Picasso. Misia was painted by Renoir (painting on the right above), Toulouse-Lautrec and many others. The composer Maurice Ravel dedicated the pieces The Swan and The Waltz to her. The newspapers called Sert the Queen of Paris, and the writer Paul Moran described her as a “collector of geniuses, all of them in love with her.”

Ekaterina Ratchkovskaya, art model of Vasily Surikov

Ekaterina Rachkovskaya was a prominent public figure, served on the boards of trustees of an orphanage and a women’s gymnasium, and was active in charity work. Her husband was Peter Rachkovsky, a doctor. The couple had 2 children: a son Ivan and a daughter Valentina.

Rachkovskaya posed for the artist Vasily Surikov. He used her image for several of his paintings. Ekaterina can be seen not only in the portrait Siberian Beauty, but also among the people on the canvases Boyarina Morozova and Taking a Snow Town.

Camille Doncieux, Claude Monet’s muse

Camille Doncieux was the first wife of Claude Monet. Her image can be seen on several of the artist’s canvases. The most famous of these paintings is The Woman in the Green Dress (the right image above), painted in 1866. Sometimes Camille and Claude had to use different tricks to get the right composition. For example, all 3 women in the work Women in the Garden were 19-year-old Doncieux.

The couple had 2 sons, Jean and Michel. The birth of the second child undermined the already poor health of Camille. Shortly after giving birth, she died. Monet suffered the loss of his beloved and even painted her posthumous portrait, Camille on Her Deathbed.

La Goulue, Toulouse-Lautrec’s art model

Louise Weber was a famous French cancan dancer. The artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec was a friend of Weber and painted posters for her performances. In addition, he also painted individual paintings of her, as in the example on the right above.

Although La Goulue’s career as a dancer was fast-paced and colorful, it ended quickly and not quite painlessly. Visitor preferences shifted, interest faded. Weber still tried herself later in the training of animals, but didn’t achieve much success there.

Sarah Bernhardt, Alphonse Mucha’s muse

Sarah had a huge influence on the creative Alphonse Mucha. In many of his portraits of women, the features of the famous actress can be discerned. Surprisingly, thanks to her help Alphonse became famous.

At the end of the 19th century, he was an unknown illustrator. One day Sarah called the print shop where Mucha worked and immediately demanded to make a new poster for her production of Gismonda. And the artists who worked there were temporarily absent. The young artist got a great chance to show his skills. After that Sarah turned only to him and even asked him to make sketches for her theater costumes.

Virginie Gautreau, John Sargent’s art model

Virginie Gautreau was a star of the Belle Epoque. She stood out among others for using lavender powder to improve her complexion and body color. Her beauty captivated the artists of the 19th century. Virginie posed for Gustave Courtois and Antonio de la Gandara. But her most recognizable portrait is Portrait of Madame X (the right picture above) by John Sargent.

When this painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon, the public was shocked and offended. Even though the original version with the lowered strapline was corrected, the portrait was still too revealing. After such a reception, Gautreau had to leave high society for a while, and Sargent left the country. However, this didn’t prevent him from becoming famous in Britain and America.

Are you curious what other painting heroines looked like in real life? Check out this article.