Paule Gobillard

The joyous paintings of Paule Gobillard were the result of an upbringing at the center of Paris’s avant-garde. Gobillard also had the right familial relationships: she was the niece of the great Impressionist Berthe Morisot, who had married Eugène Manet, the brother of Eouard Manet. When Morisot died in 1895, her daughter Julie began living with Paule Gobillard and her sister Jeanne. Morisot had stipulated that upon her death, Julie’s guardian would be none other than Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Thus, Paule developed her artistic style under the tutelage of her aunt Berthe Morisot and Renoir. Renoir often took all three girls, Paule, Jeanne, and Julie, on trips to Brittany and Provence, where he would use them as models. Renoir’s positive outlook is evident in Gobillard’s own style. Her vibrant works are an embodiment of continual optimism and positive reinforcement that was evident during her artistic training.