At first glance, when we see this painting of a woman staring ardently into the viewer’s eyes, we would think of it as just a mere subject. But the woman we see here is so much more. This is Madame Hippolyte Flandrin; Aimée Ancelot. When researching this topic, I did not really find sources that directly connected the artist to the subject. However, it was abundantly clear by the way that he painted her that he adored her. Ancelot and Flandrin were both from good social backgrounds and had honoured positions in society. I found a formidable pair. We see in the painting that Ancelot embodies innocence, shyness, and grace. Her features are sharper than the prevailing standards of beauty back then; however, there is a slight softness and warmth in her eyes, and a slight tilt of her lips that shows her smile. It is clear that Ancelot wasn't just smiling at us, but rather at the lovely painter, her husband. This to be said, it must be noted that all of this is based on records of relatives and other members of the society, and there is minimal information as to what the relationship is really like. But at least from this painting, it is clear that in this moment, the sweetness that we abundantly see in her beautiful gaze.
The eyes in the painting say much more than one might think. The innocence in her eyes, those soft expressions of happiness and a little shy look about her, all these suggest that the artist was indeed in love with the subject, who in this case is his wife, to be able to capture the softness in her demeanour.
