Portrait of Paul Helleu by John Singer Sargent
Paul César Helleu was born in Vannes, France in 1859. As a young boy he immediately took a passionate interest in art. His father died when Paul César was still young and his mother was not keen on her son following the unstable profession of an artist. Helleu was however, a determined young man and by the age of seventeen he had moved to Paris to study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Helleu rejected the classical academic approach to painting that he was taught at art school and instead embraced Impressionism. Helleu formed close friendships with Degas, Rodin, Renoir and particularly Monet who became a close friend and companion. Helleu’s closest friend was John Singer Sargent and it was he who inspired Helleu to become a portraitist.
Camara
Peggy Letellier
Seated Young Woman
Portrait of a Woman
Mademoiselle Vaughan
The Feathered Hat
Elegant Woman at the Rail
Female with hat and plumes
Woman with the Blue Eyes