Marie Bashkirtseff

November 23, 2012

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On this date in 1860, Russian artist Marie Bashkirtseff was born in the Ukraine to a wealthy noble family. She grew up in France and Italy, and studied painting in Paris. Although a number of her paintings were destroyed by the Nazis during World War II, she is still well-known for two canvasses: "The Meeting," depicting Parisian slum children, and "In the Studio," depicting fellow artists at work. From the age of 13, she kept a journal, which included her correspondence with writer Guy De Maupassant. Still in print, the journal was first published in 1891, and was called I Am the Most Interesting Book of All. Her later journal entries, originally published in Revue des Revues, in February and September, 1900, reveal her skepticism. She was an ardent feminist, who wrote for Hubertine Auclert's newspaper, La Citoyenne. She died of tuberculosis at age 23. D. 1884.

Compiled by Annie Laurie Gaylor - www.ffrf.org