French actress Jeanne Samary lived a short life. She died at 33, but remained on the canvases of the famous painter Auguste Renoir. The famous artist painted four paintings depicting Jeanne. The most famous of them is kept in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.
The life of Jeanne Samari was firmly connected with the theatrical environment. Her immediate relatives, as well as children, one after another invariably became actors and actresses. Jeanne during her short career managed to play in many comedic roles. And if not for premature death, she could have achieved much more on stage.
Theater dynasty
Jeanne was born on March 4, 1857 in the small French commune of Neuilly-sur-Seine. Almost every relative of her was associated with the theater. In the 30s of the nineteenth century, Augustine Susanne Brohan, Jeanne's grandmother, was considered a popular actress. Especially Augustine managed comedic roles for which she was awarded prizes more than once. Augustine achieved great success in the theater field by joining the troupe of the famous French theater Comedy Frances. Subsequently, the daughters of Augustine - Madeleine and Josephine - continued the family tradition, becoming actresses of the same theater.
Madeline, the mother of Jeanne, was known to her contemporaries for her roles in numerous vaudeville. Her chosen one was the cellist Louis-Jacques Samari. Together, the couple raised four children who followed in the footsteps of their parents, connecting their lives with theater and music.
Theatrical career of Jeanne Samari
Jeanne Samari also continued the theatrical dynasty, enrolling at the National Academy at the age of 14. Studying stage art, the girl quickly got used to the theatrical environment and successfully performed roles in comedy plays. For one of these roles, she was awarded a special prize.
Jeanne's first serious debut on the stage was at the Comedy Frances. She was to reincarnate as Dorin's maid from the comedy Moliere "Tartuffe". After that, local newspapers described her as a "chubby, pink-cheeked, funny" girl. Over the course of her life, Jeanne had to play many more such roles - cunning, dexterous and flirtatious maids. She took part in the plays of Hugo, Burso, Moliere and other authors.
In 1879, the twenty-two-year-old Jeanne was introduced to the theater as a permanent member of the troupe, which was a great achievement for any actor.
Portraits of Jeanne Samari
The famous artist Auguste Renoir met a young actress at a literary and art evening, where Jeanne read poems. Young people talked for two and a half years. During this time, the painter managed to write three portraits of Jeanne, and all of them are radically different from each other.
In the first picture, Jeanne is presented quite casually: dark clothes, a white collar, a large red bow. Renoir was dissatisfied with his work and a month later began to paint a new portrait, which is still considered the most successful of all. The artist’s first work is currently in the Comedy Francaise Theater.
In the second portrait, Jeanne is depicted in a green-blue dress on a pink background. The girl rests her chin on her left hand, and her red hair is slightly disheveled. The actress here is at the same time thoughtful and smiling, in general, the portrait carries a feeling of serenity and extraordinary freshness. To correctly see the impressionist painting, you need to stand at a certain distance from it, only then you can get the right perception. In France, this picture was called so - "La Reverie". It’s difficult to find a suitable Russian synonym for this word. This is at the same time a reflection and a dream.
In the third portrait, Jeanne Samari is depicted against the backdrop of a full-length theater interior. Here a young and flirtatious girl is dressed in an expensive dress with a deep neckline and a beautiful train. A thin waist is encircled by a golden belt. This portrait can be seen in the halls of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Marriage and family
In 1880, Jeanne became the happy wife of a respectable Parisian aristocrat and financier Paul Lagarde. When he first saw a girl on the stage, the young man realized that he had found his lover. Unfortunately, Paul’s parents did not appreciate his son’s choice and even made an attempt to annul the marriage by starting a lawsuit. Despite this, the family life of Jeanne and Paul has developed happily.
