Charles Worth, a life-size ortrait by Éile Friant – FESCH.TV

FESCH.TV INFORMIERT:

The founding father of haute couture, Charles Frederick Worth had a unique career as a fashion designer in France, becoming couturier to Empress Eugénie and elevating dressmaking to an art form and maintaining his dominion for a remarkably long time. His intricate, at times extravagant, confections satisfied the needs of La Belle Epoque’s most fashionable women. Couture from The House of Worth was at the time the most expensive.

Worth’s place in the history of fashion is fundamental and he is widely acknowledged to have created the template for haute couture as we know it today. He has been credited with a great many ‘firsts’. He was among the first to create a brand by labelling his creations, he initiated the practice of showing collections in advance of the season, he welcomed new technologies and distribution methods and cultivated an international clientele; he was also the first to create for himself the role of dictatorial couturier.

Commissioned by Worth, this striking painting bears all the hallmarks of the French artist Émile Friant as a portraitist. The posture and intense gaze of Worth are both arresting and an outstanding illustration of the way in which Friant was able to convey a sense of liveliness and presence to the people he portrayed. Standing out in front of a swiftly sketched background, Worth is depicted with meticulous realism, in a restrained palette; the precision of the depiction can nevertheless give way to spontaneous passages where brushstrokes remain visible. Friant employs contrasts in luminosity to better highlight his subject and his attributes. The painter was justifiably celebrated in his lifetime for his ability to capture the essence of his sitters.