Women at the Piano: A History through Images

This lecture explores the emergence of the "femme au piano" genre in 19th and early 20th-century French painting, with examples by Renoir, Van Gogh, Matisse and countless others. Why did the topic suddenly become so popular? Presented from the perspective of a music historian, this lecture will delve into the roots of the genre: from women and clavichords in the Italian Renaissance, to Dutch domestic scenes and 18th-century ceremonial portraits with harpsichords. We will see how the piano became the centrepiece of middle-class domesticity in the 19th century, and a “woman at the piano” then represented private reflection. The lecture will reveal how these paintings offer us a window onto the history of women’s music-making and their role in society.